D? 

ROSE 

W. 

HOLLY 

COURT 

& 

ELIZABETH 
LINCOLN 
GOULD 







•a. i 


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STfre Penn ‘Publishing Company 
P h i t o d c t p f) i a «MG*MIII 




THE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

Two Copies Received 

JUN 12 1903 

A Copyrtgnt Entry 
CLASS CU XXc. No 

,r&/^ * 

3 : copy b, 


Copyright 1903 by The Penn Publishing Company 


K 


A Rose of IIollv Court 


Contents 


CHAP - PAGE 

I The Invitation 5 

II A Red Brown Dog 19 

III Tim’s Departure 29 

IV An Accident 38 

Y The Little Bread-Winner ... 45 

VI A Successful Day 56 

YII The Chinese Baby 69 

VIII Supper for Dennis 81 

IX Summer Days 95 

X An Unwelcome Visitor .... 105 

XI A Long Right 118 

XII Callers for Rosie 127 

XIII The Purchase of Dennis .... 135 

XIV Rosie’s Holiday 143 

XV On the Dolans’ Steps 153 

XVI A Breezy Afternoon 159 

XVII An Exciting Morning 168 

XVIII Heart’s Desire 175 


3 







A Rose of Holly Court 


CHAPTER I 

THE INVITATION 

Tiie day was so hot that the door of the Settle- 
ment stood wide open. The voices of the children 
floated out from the play-room into the street and 
mingled with the sounds of clanging motor-gongs, 
rattling wheels, fruit venders and a wheezy hand- 
organ. It was just five o’clock ; in half an hour one 
of the best hurdy-gurdies in the city would draw up 
before the door and play until six o’clock, one gay, 
rollicking tune after another. 

This half-hour of music was the gift of Miss 
Dorothy Rowe, the youngest member of the college 
club which had started the Settlement a month before. 

“ J ust let me do it till we can afford to get a 
piano,” she had besought the other members. “ It 
will draw the children to the steps, and then we can 
draw them into the house, gradually — you’ll see.” 

Her plan had worked like a charm, Some days the 
5 


6 


A Rose of Holly Court 

hurdy-gurdy came at four o’clock; the man who 
played it was in league with Miss Howe; he would 
never tell the children at what hour to expect him. 
There were pleasant things to be seen through the 
screen door, and in less than ten days after the Settle- 
ment was opened thirty children spent part of the 
afternoon in the play-room with Miss Howe. 

The mothers of the boys and girls boasted of their 
Settlement to friends in other parts of the city. Mrs. 
Cassidy and Mrs. Dolan agreed with Mrs. Goldstein 
that Miss Dorothy Kowe was the “ prettiest young 
lady and had the sweetest ways” that had ever been 
seen in the neighborhood. 

On this hot June day there were twenty children in 
the play-room, and as many more in the quiet reading- 
room up-stairs, when a quaint little figure in a clean 
gingham, and a green and blue plaid shawl turned the 
corner of Holly Court and walked sedately along 
Main Street, casting an occasional glance at two 
smaller figures toddling unsteadily along behind her 
hand in hand. Just before she reached the Settle- 
ment the little girl stepped back and gently separating 
the clasped hands, took one in each of her own. 

“ You’ve been smart boys, and sister is proud of 
you,” she said, nodding approval to the baby faces up- 


7 


A Rose of Holly Court 

turned to tiers. “ I couldn't have left you alone if 
there’d been a street to cross, but you went up and 
down the curbstone at the alleys just as well as I 
could do it myself. Now when I squeeze your hands, 
remember you’re to bow the very best bows that ever 
you made.” 

A wide smile broadened the two fat faces, and then 
the trio moved on to the Settlement and up the eight 
steps to the door with scarcely a halt. 

“ Now mind you stand still while I ring the bell,” 
said the little girl ; and after a sharp pull which drew 
forth a shrill tinkle that echoed through the house, 
she folded her arms under the plaid shawl and waited. 

“ No, no, keep on with the game while I go to the 
door,” she heard a clear voice say, and in another 
moment Miss Dorothy Rowe appeared in the hall. 

“What is it, you dear little girl?” asked Miss 
Dorothy. “ Aren’t you coming in to see us ? The 
door is not fastened, see ? it shuts tight with a spring. 
Are those cunning babies your brothers? Do come 
in.” 

The little girl’s face was overspread with a smile, 
but she had an errand to do before she dared speak of 
anything else. 

“If you please,” she said demurely, “I am Rosie 


8 


A Rose of Holly Court 

Dolan, sister to Maggie that’s been here three or four 
times, and Mrs. Dolan (that’s my mother) would like 
the pleasure of your company to come to the party 
that we are going to have Friday night. My sister, 
Norah Dolan, is to marry Mr. Patrick Knowles in the 
morning and go to live in Wu-wu-wucester, if you 
please. And there’s a few others invited.” 

As she finished her long speech, Kosie seized a hand 
of each baby brother, and all three children bowed so 
low that it was a wonder they did not lose their 
balance. 

“And these are the twins, Patrick and Terence,” 
said the little girl, as they came up from their bow 
with flushed and merry faces, “and they are good 
boys — mostly. Mother says they’d be spoiled if we 
praised them all they deserve,” she whispered with 
her mouth close to Miss Dorothy’s ear. 

“Your mother is very kind to invite me,” said the 
young lady, smiling her answer to Rosie’s secret, “ and 
I should be delighted to go to the party ; and might I 
be allowed to take a rose to the bride ? ” 

It seemed as if the plaid shawl were too closely 
pinned to permit such pride as swelled the little figure 
inside it. 

“ She’d be the grandest girl in this city if she had a 


9 


A Rose of Holly Court 

rose to wear that you gave her,” said Rosie excitedly. 
“She’s seen you and she thinks there’s nobody like 
you ; she thinks you’re fine ; she told me so ! We 
live in Holly Court, Miss Dorothy — that’s the street 
with the park, past the two alleys as you go along 
Main Street to the left from this house. Ours 
is the little house close up to the park, opposite the 
biggest tenement. We’ve the whole house to our- 
selves, for the family’s moved out from the top 
floor.” 

“That must be pleasant,” said Miss Dorothy as 
Rosie paused for breath. 

“ It is,” said the little girl, “ but now when Norah’s 
gone ’twill be awful still in the house excepting when 
Tim’s baby cries. He’s a widower ; I’m the oldest, 
all but Norah and Tim and Bob ; and there’s Maggie 
and Celia — she’s had the jaunders or she’d have been 
here— and the twins, they’re all younger.” 

Miss Dorothy stooped to pinch the fat, inviting 
cheeks of Patrick and Terence who gurgled with 
delight. 

“You’ve got the friendly way with you,” said 
Rosie, admiringly. “ Hullo, Gussie,” she added as 
she caught sight of a sharp little face peering around 
the edge of Miss Dorothy’s gown. 


10 


A Rose of Holly Court 

“ Hullo, Kosie,” said the child, “ I wanted to see 
who it was. Aren’t you coming in ? ” 

“ Not to-day,” said Kosie, with an air of great dig- 
nity, taking Patrick and Terence by their fat elbows 
and facing them about toward the street. “ Good- 
bye, Miss Dorothy.” 

“ Good-bye until I see you again,” said Miss Dor- 
othy, and she stood at the door with little sharp 
faced Gussie until the three Dolans had passed the first 
alley. As she turned to go back to the play-room the 
hurdy-gurdy creaked up to the curb, and out streamed 
the children, calling shrill welcomes to the Italian. 

The first notes, with their enticing tinkle, tankle, 
brought Patrick and Terence to a standstill. They 
gave two little hops on the sidewalk, and tugged 
fiercely at Kosie’s shawl to turn her around ; but 
Kosie was firm. 

“ You’d never expect more treat after all you’ve 
had, going with me to carry the invitation,” she said 
reproachfully. “You know I promised my mother 
I’d bring you right home again. Come now, be good 
boys and don’t bother sister.” 

For some minutes neither coaxing nor commands 
could quiet the roars of the Dolan twins, but Kosie 
bore them swiftly along in spite of all they could do, 


11 


A Rose of Holly Court 

and by the time they turned into Holly Court they 
had decided to make the best of a bad matter, and 
only a subdued whimpering was left to show how 
they felt. 

“ Now I’m proud of you again,” said Eosie. “ Take 
hands and walk ahead of me, and show the neighbors 
how fast you can go to your own door.” 

Holly Court took its name from an old man who 
had owned most of the houses in the short street 
twenty years before the Dolans moved into the little 
brown house. The park had been three times its 
present size before the car-barns which closed the end 
of Holly Court were built. There was a legend in the 
Court that years ago there had been an iron fence 
around the park with a gate which locked and that 
every resident had a private key. That was in the 
days when Holly Court was known as Castle Street. 

“ They say the time was when no dog could put foot 
in that park,” said Mrs. Dolan from the doorway of the 
little brown house as Patrick and Terence toddled up 
the steps with Eosie close behind them. “ Look at 
the dogs that are making it their home, now ! ” 

“ There’s nine of them,” laughed Eosie. “ I wouldn’t 
deny them their fun in the grass, but sometimes 
when I’m out in the park with Tim’s baby I can’t 


12 A Rose of Holly Court 

get him to sleep, they bark and race around so 
lively.” 

The nine dogs were not at all disturbed by Mrs. 
Dolan’s notice of them, and having no real homes of 
their own they were all in the park on the morning 
of Norah Dolan’s wedding. When the hack that had 
been hired by Mr. Patrick Knowles to take his bride 
to the minister’s house arrived with a great clatter, 
the nine dogs scampered out into the street ready to 
act as escort. 

Bob and Tim were to represent the family at 
Norah’s wedding, for Mrs. Dolan had suddenly “ lost 
her stren’th,” and Rosie must stay at home with her ; 
the other children were not old enough for a wed- 
ding, “ even if they had the clothes,” the mother had 
decided. Rosie arranged Norah’s skirt on the seat of 
the hack, spreading it out so that Mr. Knowles with a 
wide smile, suggested he might better mount to the 
driver’s box, but Rosie was too excited for jokes; she 
gave him a gentle push and he subsided on the narrow 
seat facing his bride. 

“ Good wishes and love go with you,” said Rosie 
with a final kiss to her sister ; then she shut the door 
of the hack and waved her little hand for the driver 
to proceed. 


A Rose of Holly Court 13 

“ Now I must run in and make the party cake,” she 
said to Mrs. Cassidy, who was sweeping off her door- 
steps at the next house but one. “ My mother’s on 
her back with all the goings on, but she’ll be up 
again this evening. It’s her head that pains her. 
They’re going to take dinner with Mr. Patrick 
Knowles’s aunt.” 

“ It’s a grand day they have for it,” said Mrs. 
Cassidy who was glad to know these items. “ Make 
her a good strong bowl o’ tea, Rosie. It’s what she 
needs for her head.” 

“ So I will,” said the little girl, running up the steps, 
“ and thank you, Mrs. Cassidy.” 

Some people might have thought that Norah’s mar- 
riage would be a happy turn of events for the Dolan 
family. Chance visitors were apt to consider their 
quarters small, but no Dolan ever entertained such an 
idea, unless it might have been Maggie when the 
weather was very hot. There were five rooms — a 
parlor with a bed-lounge, two tiny bedrooms, a 
kitchen, and a little outer room in which was an iron 
sink. 

In the kitchen was an old cooking-stove, six wooden 
chairs and a battered table. There was also a shallow 
closet with shelves which held so many things that 


H 


A Rose of Holly Court 

whoever opened the door of it stood aside until such 
articles as were nearest the edge had fallen out on the 
kitchen floor. 

Rosie hurried to this closet as soon as she heard 
from her mother that the bowl of tea had “ loosened 
the pain in her head.” A quick shower of forks and 
spoons rattled down as the little girl pulled the closet 
door open after a struggle caused by. its sticking. 

“ Row I’ll be as hasty as ever I can,” said Rosie, 
selecting a tin spoon from the assortment on the floor 
and putting all the other things back on the edge of 
the narrow shelf, already more than crowded. She 
held them in place with one hand until the door was 
almost closed and then by a quick push managed to 
shut the door tight before anything slipped. A brown 
bowl, much cracked and mended, was waiting on the 
table, with a small flour bucket and a little tin of 
precious baking-powder beside it. 

After a glance at these things, to make sure they 
were all there and ready for use, Rosie opened the 
outer door of the kitchen and stepped into the fifth 
room, the pride and delight of every Dolan — a little 
box of a place in which there was the iron sink with 
two faucets. So complete were the arrangements 
that when the cooking-stove was doing its best, one 


A Rose of Holly Court 15 

of the faucets trickled a thin stream of warmish water. 
But there was seldom fire enough to make this possi- 
ble except in the coldest days of winter. The other 
faucet gave a rush of cold water to whomsoever 
turned it ; in fact as it was frequently used and always 
spattered, the floor of the sink-room was generally 
damp and cool, and a tin box placed against the outer 
wall close to the stairway that led to the back yard, 
made as fine a refrigerator as was to be found in the 
length and breadth of Holly Court. Also, as the tin 
box had a stout hasp its contents were safe from mice, 
and that was a great advantage. 

From this refrigerator Rosie drew with care an 
egg, a little paper bundle of sugar, a tiny box of spice 
and a cup of milk, and last but not least a good-sized 
piece of butter. It must have been three inches 
square and Rosie bore it to the kitchen table with the 
air of one who carries a priceless treasure. For these 
things — all of them — had been saved for the making 
of the bride’s cake. A large loaf of brownish color 
with white frosting had been provided for the com- 
pany as well, but as Rosie scornfully remarked, “it 
was just baker’s cake, with not a speck of the home 
taste to it.” 

Hers was to be a home cake, and her cheeks grew 


16 A Rose of Holly Court 

scarlet as it progressed. The fire must be hot enough 
to bake it, but not too quick, and no coal could bo 
wasted, so the cake must be ready to go into the oven 
the minute the proper degree of heat was reached. 
Never was a single egg so beaten before, and never 
was a cake stirred with greater energy. Rosie held 
her breath as she poured the batter at last into the 
buttered pan. She set it in the oven, closed the door 
and ran in to the parlor. 

Mrs. Dolan was lying on the bed-lounge with a wet 
handkerchief over her face and Tim’s baby asleep 
on her shoulder. 

“ Oh, mother,” cried Rosie, as she tiptoed over 
to the lounge, “ it’s in ! it’s in ! But I mistrust 
there’s something wrong about it; it went off so 
easy ! ” 

“Now don’t be a foolish one,” said Mrs. Dolan 
from under the wet handkerchief. “ Run right out 
to the kitchen again and watch the oven, and take 
Tim’s baby along for luck. He was weighing heavy 
on my neck,” murmured Mrs. Dolan as the baby, still 
asleep, was carried off by Rosie. 

The little girl sat down on one of the wooden chairs 
and waited patiently while a round alarm clock on the 
table ticked, ticked faster and faster, so it seemed to 


A Rose of Holly Court 17 

her. Once the baby stirred and Eosie whispered in 
his ear : 

“Don’t cry now, Eosie’s darling boy, and make a 
draft on the cake! Eosie’ll tell you a pretty secret — 
there’s a ring in the cake ; a grand shiny ring ! think 
o’ that now ! ” 

Whether the baby thought of it or not nobody 
could say, but he did not cry or stir again till the forty 
minutes required for the baking had passed and Eosie 
having laid him carefully down on the table, opened 
the oven door and, holding her breath again, took out 
the cake. It had risen, it had browned; it did not 
stick to the pan ; it was everything that a bride’s cake 
should be, and when Mrs. Dolan saw it, the last 
lingering remnant of her headache vanished and she 
cast the wet handkerchief aside and sprang to her 
feet. 

“It’s the handsomest loaf that ever I saw,” she 
said generously. “ I could never make its like — quick, 

Eosie, till we hide it in the — in the ” Mrs. Dolan 

looked wildly about her, — such necessity had never 
before arisen, and Patrick and Terence as well as 
Maggie and Celia who had been spending the morn- 
ing in the back yard, might discover at any minute 
that they were locked out. “Where’ll we put it, 


18 A Rose of Holly Court 

Kosie ? Quick ! Is there an empty spot in the 
bureau ? ” 

“ I can make one,” said Kosie eagerly, and they ran 
to the bedroom where Tim and Bob slept. There 
was the family bureau and it took only one minute to 
put Mrs. Dolan’s shawl and the children’s Sunday 
hats as well as a number of other things into a drawer 
which was only half-full according to Kosie’s notions ; 
this made a perfect resting-place for the cake on a 
layer of stiff brown paper in the top drawer which 
had a key. 

“ Lock it and put the key in your pocket, for I’m 
weak with the hurry,” said Mrs. Dolan. 

“ There’s few houses where they’d have such a grand 
place to hide a cake away,” said Kosie as she turned 
the key. “ There, there, Eosie’s coming quick ! ” for 
Tim’s baby, who had waked to find a hard table under 
him instead of a comfortable shoulder, began to 
scream with rage and terror, and the little house- 
keeper ran to comfort him. 


CHAPTER II 


A RED BROWN DOG 

There was but one opinion about the wedding 
party which Mrs. Dolan gave her daughter Norah — 
it was the finest party Holly Court had ever seen. 
Rosie’s cake was warmly praised by all who tasted it, 
and Rosie in a little white cheese-cloth dress enjoyed 
every minute of the evening. 

She thought it all over as she set the house to rights 
the next morning. Mrs. Dolan was lying on the bed- 
lounge to “put the stren’th into her;” the younger 
children were playing in the yard which opened into 
the Hallorans’, and so on through the Cassidys’ up 
to Goldsteins’ at the corner. The children of Holly 
Court played in the back-yards in the morning, and 
saved the park for afternoons. It was a rule they 
had made for themselves, and every new child learned 
and followed it, nobody knew why. 

Maggie had pretended to help with the housework, 
but she was more of a hindrance, and at last Rosie 
had urged her to join Celia and the others in the 
yard. 


1 ? 


20 


A Rose of Holly Court 

“ It doesn’t seem as if Maggie grows up as fast as I 
did,” said Rosie to herself as she finished clearing up 
the kitchen and stepped to the front door for a breath 
of air. “ She’s only just the two years younger, and 
when I was nine I could sweep a floor as well as I 
can now. But she’s a better scholar than ever I’ll be, 
so I needn’t be priding myself,” she added quickly. 

She sniffed the air and looked wistfully up the 
street as if she hoped to see the hack appear once 
more. 

“ I’m missing my sister Norah,” she thought. 
“That’s my trouble. I’m feeling strange to be the 
oldest girl at home.” 

As she stood there, around the corner came a red- 
brown dog, trotting briskly as if he had an errand in 
the Court. He had a silky coat that shone in the 
June sunshine and beautiful, questioning brown eyes. 
When he reached the Dolans’ steps he paused, lifted 
his left fore-paw and stood with it raised for a mo- 
ment before he turned his face toward Rosie. 

The little girl moved down one step and beckoned 
to this unexpected visitor ; as he hesitated she sat 
down on the steps and patted a place beside her. 

“ Come up here along with me for awhile, and keep 
me company,” she said coaxingly, and he instantly 


21 


A Rose of Holly Court 

accepted the invitation, seating himself beside her, 
letting his tongue hang comfortably out to the breeze 
while he got his breath. 

“ Oh, but you’re the lovely dog ! ” said Rosie as she 
rubbed her cheek against his* ear. “ I wish you were 
my dog. There, you’d like it too, wouldn’t you? 
What else would make you smile at me that way, I’d 
like to know ? ” 

The dog’s half-open mouth did look as if he were 
greatly pleased at something. He turned and lapped 
Rosie’s hand and sniffed her calico apron. 

“ It’s nothing but soap and water you can smell,” 
said Rosie firmly, drawing her apron away from the 
dog’s nose, “ for there’s not a crumb o’ food about me 
anywhere. If there had been, the twins would ’ve 
had it from me before ever they went outdoors.” 

Her new friend still smiled and Rosie was moved 
to further confidence. 

“ My sister Norali — that’s my oldest sister — was 
married yesterday, to Mr. Patrick Knowles,” she said 
softly, “ and we had a grand party in the evening. 
But after it’s all over you feel yourself dreadful tired,” 
and she stretched her little arms over her head to 
show how tired she was. 

The red-brown dog closed his mouth and turned his 


22 


A Rose of Holly Court 

sj^mpathetic eyes toward Rosie. Then he put both 
fore-paws in her lap and stretched the rest of his 
length comfortably on the old wooden step. Kosie 
clasped her arms around his neck and hugged him. 

“You look tired,” she said lovingly, “and you 
haven’t got any collar on. That means you don’t 
belong to anybody. I like you the best of any dog 
I’ve ever seen. If you had your way would you stay 
with me and be my dog, if my mother’d let you ? 
I’m the oldest girl now, and I’d like to own some- 
thing, and there’s nothing else would please me as 
much as you.” 

The dog closed his eyes, settled his head on his fore- 
paws and pretended to sleep. 

“ If he stays on this door-step most of to-day and 
doesn’t fight the other dogs, I’ll call him my very own 
dog,” said Rosie delightedly. “ Tim and Bob would 
give me five cents a week for what he’d eat extra, and 
he’d be a grand one to play with the children, I can 
see that.” 

“ Isn’t that a strange dog you’ve got, Kosie ? ” 
asked Mrs. Cassidy, who came down the street with a 
great bundle of soiled clothes in a checked covering 
in her arms. “ He looks better than the most of the 
Holly Court dogs.” 


2 3 


A Rose of Holly Court 

“He’s just come this morning,” said Rosie, “but I 
think he wants to stay and I’m intending to keep him 
for myself, if he likes it.” 

“ You’ve made a good choice,” said Mrs. Cassidy, 
resting her bundle on her knees while she stopped at 
the foot of her steps to look at the dog. “If we didn’t 
live on the top floor I’d like one myself. How’s your 
mother feeling after the party ? ” 

“ Her back aches,” said Rosie, “ the poor darling ! 
I never ache except all over; there’s few with my 
strength, Mrs. Cassidy.” 

“ That’s a true word,” said Mrs. Cassidy, as she 
toiled up to her door and disappeared. 

“ How I’ve got to go back to my work,” said Rosie 
to the dog, “ and you lie here and mind the door till 
1 come back again. You’ve no call to say a word to 
any of the other dogs, or take notice of them at all.” 

The dog seemed disappointed when Rosie’s lap was 
removed from under his paws, but he looked up at her 
with trust and confidence in his soft brown eyes. At 
Rathmore Kennels he had eaten a hearty breakfast ; 
the sun was warm and the breeze was cool that day 
in Holly Court; so he stretched himself at full length 
on the step and shut his eyes once more. 

“ The morning slips away while you’re having your 


24 


A Rose of Holly Court 

gossip,” said Mrs. Dolan from the bed-lounge as Eosie 
hurried into the house. “ Must I rise up and take the 
broom into my own hands, I wonder ? ” 

“ No, no, keep still ! ” cried Eosie, filled with regret 
at her mother’s first reproachful word. “ It’s longer 
than I thought, if the clock is right.” 

“ Why wouldn’t it be right ? ” asked Mrs. Dolan 
who surely ought to have known the answer to her 
question ; on waking from her nap her first act had 
been to shake the alarm clock, wind it, and set it ten 
minutes forward, for no special reason except that she 
thought it might be lagging a little. “ Oh, children 
can’t be expected to take care like their mothers. 
Everything slips off them, and others must take up 
their burdens. Get to work now and I’ll say no 
more.” 

“ I’ve chosen a new dog that’s come this morning, 
to keep for my own if you’re willing,” said Eosie, 
before she turned away. “ He’s a fine one.” 

“ Is he now ? ” inquired Mrs. Dolan, sleepily. 
“Well if he makes no trouble he can sleep by the 
back door. Is he a rat dog, do you think'? There’s 
one runs in and out of the entry closet. There must 
be a great hole somewhere.” 

“ He could catch rats if he had the chance, 


A Rose of Holly Court 25 

I know,” said Rosie, overjoyed at her mother’s 
words. 

She waited a moment longer, but there was no 
need, for not even the adopted dog on the door-step 
was sounder asleep than Mrs. Dolan by that time. 
Kosie opened the front door softly and looked out at 
her new treasure. He did not stir, though his eyes 
opened and turned to her face. 

“ I’m glad my mother’ll let him stay in over night,” 
she said, as she stepped about the rooms setting things 
to rights, “ for he might get lonesome and stray away 
somewhere. And I know what I’ll call him — Dennis 
— that’s the pretty name for him.” 

When the children came tumbling in from the yard 
at noon, Rosie made an announcement to them. She 
was cutting a round loaf of baker’s bread into thick 
slices at the time, and had Tim’s baby, who was rest- 
less, on her shoulder, his dress being securely pinned 
to her apron in two places so that he could not fall, 
though he might freely squirm. 

“When you go out,” said Kosie addressing Maggie, 
Celia and the twins, “ pass through the yard, and not 
out o’ the front door. There’s a dog on the steps 
that’s most prob’ly going to live here and be my own 
dog. His name will be Dennis, and I don’t want any 


26 A Rose of Holly Court 

one playing tricks with him and frightening him 
away.” 

Eosie’s sweet voice had a touch of severity and it 
seemed as if her glance rested for a moment on Mag- 
gie’s saucy little face. 

“ What’s his name, now ? ” demanded Maggie, with 
the air of one taking up a challenge. “ And s’posing 
there’s somebody belonging to him, Eosie Dolan, and 
the policeman would come and ask you however you 
got him ! ” 

“ I only invited him to stay if he’d no place else to 
go,” said Eosie, much hurt at this suggestion, “and 
well you know I’d never ” 

But there was no need for Eosie to say any more. 
Mrs. Dolan, strengthened by a nap and a bowl of tea, 
had risen from the bed-lounge and on her way to the 
kitchen had caught Maggie’s words. She stepped 
briskly over the threshold and lifting her naughty 
little daughter from her chair she carried her straight 
to the back door, opened it and set her outside on the 
steps. 

“What you’re wanting is the air outdoors,” said 
Mrs. Dolan when this feat was swiftly and silently 
accomplished. “ And if ever I hear the like of that 
out o’ your mouth again, you’ll not play in the park 


2 7 


A Rose of Holly Court 

for a week. I hope you’re hearing me, Maggie Dolan. 
Rosie, darling, I took a sight at the dog, and I never 
saw a finer ; the shine on him is something grand ! ” 

That afternoon while the owner of Rathmore Ken- 
nels was hearing from one of his men the story of the 
way in which Rob Roy (who was being taken to the 
Dog Show to be exhibited for sale) had managed to 
slip his loose collar and run away — at that very time 
Dennis sat peacefully in the little park of Holly Court 
with Rosie Dolan, Patrick and Terence the twins, and 
Tim’s baby, Augustin Charles by name. The hate- 
ful Dog Show was fully three miles away at the other 
end of the city, thought Dennis, comforting himself 
for trials past. He had sped through alleys, under 
carts and around corners with his poor frightened 
heart hurrying him on out of reach of that cry of 
“ Catch him ! ” 

Rob Roy had vanished from the earth, and Dennis, 
at rest in Holly Court, knew no regret, not even when 
the peace of the afternoon was broken by Maggie who 
came flying down the street and flung herself upon 
her older sister. 

“Rosie,” she sobbed, “ oh Rosie, I do love you, and 
Gussie said I didn’t because I didn’t want to wait for 
Miss Dorothy to tell us a story till to-morrow when 


28 A Rose of Holly Court 

perhaps you could come ! And I told her you — 
you ” 

Rosie understood only one thing. Sympathy was 
needed, and with that she never failed. She put her 
arms around Maggie and drew her close. 

“ Hush, never mind,” she said, her air of protection 
making her seem several inches taller all at once, 
“ whoever says you don’t love me, that person knows 
nothing about it. I know well you love me dearly, 
and that’s enough. Dennis dear, show Maggie you 
love her, too.” 

And Dennis softly licked Maggie’s hot little hands 
as he was bid — but it was Rosie whom he loved the 
best of all the Dolans he had seen. 


CHAPTER III 

TIM’S DEPARTURE 

One July day, when Norah had been Mrs. Patrick 
Knowles for more than three weeks, and the sun was 
beating hotly down on the little house in Holly Court, 
so many things happened that it seemed to Rosie 
afterward as if nothing had ever really happened 
before. 

Mrs. Dolan had complained for a week that there 
was “ no stren’th in her from head to foot,” and had 
spent a great deal of time on the bed-lounge. When 
her husband died, two months after Patrick and Te- 
rence were born, she was so frail that the doctor had 
shaken his head more than once. Rosie never forgot 
his grave face, and her one fear was that some day 
her mother might lie down on the bed-lounge and 
never rise again. 

“ Let me do it, mother darling ! oh let me do it ! ” 
she would beg whenever she saw Mrs. Dolan pause as 
if exhausted in the middle of a task. It could not 
truly be denied that sometimes Mrs. Dolan took ad- 
vantage of this tenderness, but she had a warm Irish 
29 


30 A Rose of Holly Court 

heart under all her laziness, and in her way she loved 
her children one and all. 

“ I’m worrying about Tim,” she confided to Eosie 
that hot morning as she superintended the hanging 
out of the family washing in the yard. “ I know well 
he has it in his mind to be going away out West to 
my Cousin Martin’s, ever since the letter I had. He’s 
got the roving blood in him, like all the Carrigans. 
My father was the greatest one to be traveling, 
traveling and never laying by a cent. I mistrust 
Timmy’s that very same kind.” 

Eosie paused, a clothespin in her mouth, to stare at 
her mother. 

“ However could he take the baby so far ? ” she 
queried in amazement. “ And who’d mend him and 
keep him tidy ? ” 

“ Who’d put the food into our mouths, you’d better 
be asking,” said Mrs. Dolan sharply. “ Of course the 
baby would bide with us, seeing Tim married an 
orphan with not a relation to her name.” 

“ Oh, I’m glad o’ that,” cried Eosie, “ for I don’t 
see how I’d ever let him go. But maybe it’s only 
your thought about Tim, anyway, mother darling. 
Wouldn’t you like to be resting your head again ?” 

“ Bob is only earning just the price o’ the rent,” 


3 1 


A Rose of Holly Court 

Mrs. Dolan went on, as if she had not heard the little 
girl’s words, “ and he’ll get no raise this year, and he’s 
a terrible eater. They’re all big eaters but your poor 
mother and you. Where’s the twins ?” she asked un- 
easily, as if she feared the ears of Patrick and 
Terence. 

“I left them in the kitchen, playing with a ” 

began Eosie, but she never finished her sentence, for 
there suddenly rose on the air a piercing cry of fright, 
followed instantly by the sound of a fall and then the 
unmistakable voice of Terence raised in pain and 
grief. 

“ Eun in quick, and see what’s happened, and 
I’ll come as soon as I get my breath after the scare,” 
said Mrs. Dolan with her hand on her heart. Eosie 
was already vanishing in the back door. 

The sink was occupied by Patrick, whose method of 
reaching it could be guessed from a chair which stood 
close at hand. The faucet was running and spattering 
with all its might over Patrick’s clothes, and on the 
floor with a great bump rising on his forehead, lay 
Terence, making as much noise as he possibly could. 

Eosie lifted him into her arms and he clasped his 
fat hands behind her head. 

“ Hush, Terence darling, till sister gets the brown 


32 


A Rose of Holly Court 

paper for your bump,” said Rosie tenderly. “ You 
never pushed him out o’ the sink, did you ? ” she asked 
Patrick, as she turned off the spattering faucet. 

“ JSTo, no ! ” cried Patrick, and Terence in the midst 
of his sobs, cried, “ No, no ! ” too. 

“I couldn’t have believed it of you,” said Rosie 
gladly. “I knew he must have fallen off himself, 
poor darling. I’m thinking you both wanted to feel 
the cold water on you. Well, it is a hot day, sure 
enough ! Row, Patrick darling, you stand quiet in 
the sink' till Rosie gets Terence’s head bound up, and 
then she’ll get some dry clothes and dress you up 
again, so you’ll not step around on the floor with 
those dripping things on you. I’ll be quick as ever I 
can.” 

She was so quick that when Mrs. Dolan at last 
found strength to come into the house, Terence’s head 
was bound with a brown paper plaster and he was 
sitting quietly in Rosie’s lap, while Patrick, in all the 
glory of a turkey red dress, stood at her elbow. 

“ There’s no great harm done,” said Rosie cheer- 
fully, “ for Patrick’s clothes can go right out on the 
line with the rest, and Terence’s bump will soon 
be easy. It was the cool water they wanted, and the 
sink wouldn’t hold them both. We’ll have to lock the 



“YOU’RE A LOVELY DOG” 








A Rose of Holly Court 33 

door o’ this room when we’re out, till they get more 
understanding.” 

“They’re naughty boys and I’ll have to punish 
them,” said Mrs. Dolan easily. “ You step out and 
finish the clothes, and I’ll attend to the both of 
them.” 

“ Terence’s bump is still paining him,” ventured 
Rosie, as she gave up her charge, and she kissed the 
baby lips that were not quite steady yet, “and Pat- 
rick was frightened too. I believe they’ll never do it 
again, truly I do, mother darling.” 

“ Then to please you, I’ll let them off this one time,” 
said Mrs. Dolan, and Rosie went out to the yard, to 
her work in the hot sun, well content. 

“ There’s not another two little boys in the city as 
smart as they are, I know,” she said to Dennis who 
just then came in at the back gate, and he said 
“ woof ” softly as if he agreed with her. 

“ You’re a lovely dog,” said Rosie affectionately, 
stopping her work for a minute to pat him. “ I’m so 
glad you’re my dog. I’ve been easy in my mind 
since I asked the big policeman on Main Street if 
he’d seen any one inquiring for a dog and he told me 
no. I believe you came from far, and the people 
moved away and didn’t take you.” 


34 A Rosb jf Holly Court 

Dennis looked at her lovingly,, and his brown eyes 
seemed to say, “that might very well be true. I 
have no wish to contradict you.” He seated himself 
on the steps to watch his little mistress, but in a mo- 
ment the door opened behind him. 

“Rosie, come right in; Timmy is here,” called Mrs. 
Dolan, and Rosie knew at once that something had 
disturbed her mother. 

“I’ve had a letter from Cousin Martin,” Tim 
eagerly explained ; “ and he’s holding a place for me 
till I get there ; a place where there’s a fine chance to 
work up. It’ll take the little money I’ve saved to get 
me there, but then I’ll soon be sending back some- 
thing every week, and before a couple of years have 
gone I’ll send for you all to come out, bringing the 
baby, and I’ll get a chance for Bobby, too.” 

“ I’m glad you remembered to mention the baby,” 
said Mrs. Dolan severely, but in a moment she was all 
smiles and enthusiasm over Tim’s plans. The worry 
about money was pushed aside by thought for her 
boy and his journey. 

“ It’ll take you three days and a half to come,” 
Cousin Martin had written, “ and I can keep the place 
for you till then if you tellygraft you are coming. 
Let me know at onct. I must hear from you imediate.” 


35 


A Rose of Holly Court 

Spelling Lad never been Cousin Martin’s forte, but 
bis idea was clear enough. And Tim’s wish was also 
clear. 

“ It’s only ten o’clock now,” he said hurriedly, 
“ and there’s a train goes at three. Couldn’t I get 
ready to go ? It won’t be any easier to say good-b} r e 
if I wait till to-morrow. I quit my job for the city ” 
— Tim had been a street workman — “as soon as I’d 
read the letter, and I got my pay. The boss said he’d 
make it all right ; he has a brother younger than he 
is that started West all at once last year, and he says 
you have to take your chance when you get it.” 

“ It’s hard for a mother to say good-bye to her 
oldest son, and the father of her grandchild,” 
mourned Mrs. Dolan gazing sorrowfully up at Tim 
from her seat on the back door-steps. Then, after 
a moment allotted to grief, she rose briskly and 
entered the house, Tim following her. They locked 
the back door, and the next hour was one of much 
haste and scurrying to and fro. The bag which 
was the only provision ever made by the late Mr. 
Dolan for possible journeys, was stuffed so full that it 
would not clasp and had to be bound about with stout 
string. The bureau drawers were well-nigh emptied 
in the traveler’s behalf, for as Kosie remarked as she 


36 A Rose of Holly Court 

pressed one garment after another into the bag, her 
face as grave as a judge’s: “It’s little matter what 
Bobby wears, stopping at home, is it, mother ? It’s 
Tim must have the clothes, so he’ll not shame the 
Dolans in the new place where lie’s going.” 

“ It’s no matter at all about Bobby, and he’d say 
the same if he was here for he has right feelings -if he 
is a boy of mine,” said Mrs. Dolan ; and when Bobby 
came home at noon from the big store where he was 
an assistant engineer, he gladly assented to every- 
thing that had been done in his absence and when 
Tim said apologetically, “I’m making away with all 
the clothes and only leaving you my good-will, Bob,” 
he grinned cheerfully, and said, “ All right,” in his 
heartiest tone. Bob was a person of few words, but 
the very soul of good-nature. 

“ Now I’ll help you into your black alpaca, mother 
darling, for the time’s going fast,” said Rosie when 
the hasty meal was over. 

Her little fingers trembled with excitement as she 
buttoned and hooked and at last had her mother 
arrayed to her taste. 

“ And now your Sunday bonnet,” she said, shak- 
ing her head as Mrs. Dolan brought out a shabby 
article that adorned her head on week-days. 


37 


A Rose of Holly Court 

“ And liere’s the blessed baby for your last kiss,” 
she said as the traveler stood in the doorway, “ and 
I’ll shake his hand at you till you’ve turned the 
corner.” 

Tim had already, in his haste, kissed some little 
boys and girls who did not belong in the family at 
all, but had run up the steps “ to tell Timmy Dolan 
good-bye.” Nobody knew how the news had spread 
so fast, though Tim had mentioned his plans to Mrs. 
Cassidy who stood in her door as he hurried home. 

“ Good-bye!” chorused the children, gathered at 
the foot of the steps. 

“ Good-bye, good-bye ! ” called Tim, who kept turn- 
ing around and waving his hat. 

But Mrs. Dolan, leaning heavily on Tim’s arm as 
they passed out of Holly Court did not once turn her 
head or lift her eyes. Yet when the corner was fairly 
rounded and Tim said something about his journey, 
Mrs. Dolan raised her head with evident pride. 

“ There wasn’t an empty window in the tenements 
as we passed by, Timmy,” she whispered, “ not a one ! 
I marked as many as five watching out in some 
places ! ” 


CHAPTER IV 


AN ACCIDENT 

“How they’re gone around the corner, and we 
can’t see them any more,” said Rosie, when with a 
last wave of his hat and the heavy bag, Tim had 
turned his back on Holly Court. 

She hesitated a moment, looking from one child to 
another as if she were a little bewildered. Then she 
quickly laid her plans, and gave her orders. 

“ Maggie darling, you take the baby, and Celia, run 
into the house and get the parasol, and then all of you 
go over to the park and sit in that shady spot under 
the big tree, for nobody’s got it yet, and you’ve the 
need to cool off for awhile. I’ll take the twins in the 
house with me till I’ve cleared up the kitchen, and 
then I’ll bring them outdoors with their little sticks 
to dig. My mother’ll be gone for a couple of hours, 
and I’ll have everything done when she gets home.” 

It was hot, and Rosie had such a gentle way of 
giving her commands that even Maggie could find no 
fault with this program. She took little Augustin 
Charles in her arms and waited while Celia went into 

38 


39 


A Rose of Holly Court 

the house and brought out the parasol. This was a 
remnant of better days, and had once been a cheerful 
green, but sun and rains had done their worst with it, 
and Mrs. Cassidy came near the truth when she re- 
ferred to it as “ erridissent.” The nine dogs had not 
been above using it as a plaything in dull times, and 
it had so many holes and slits that no one who ac- 
cepted its shelter need be in any fear of too much 
shade. 

When Rosie had seen the children safely seated 
under the tree, she took Patrick and Terence into the 
house. 

“ Row, sister’s got a lot of work to do,” she said, 
lovingly, “ and I know you’d not want to hinder me. 
But there’s such spirit in you that Rosie’s going to tie 
you to the legs o’ the bed-lounge till she gets the 
sweeping done, for she’s got to close the door between 
the rooms on account of the dust, and I’ll call Dennis 
in from the yard to keep you company.” 

The twins seemed well pleased with this arrange- 
ment and stood quietly while Rosie tied a stout cord 
around each fat waist and attached them to the front 
legs of the bed-lounge. Dennis came in at Rosie’s 
call and lay panting on the floor near the threshold 
where he could get any air that might stray in 


40 


A Rose of Holly Court 

through the front doorway. Patrick and Terence 
had a picture book apiece, aud when Rosie had given 
them each a kiss and patted Dennis she closed the 
door and began her work. 

First she washed the dishes and put them away, 
swept the kitchen and outer room, and then with a 
pail of hot suds and a coarse cloth she scrubbed the 
kitchen floor on her hands and knees. 

“ I love to clean,” she said to herself, as she dived 
under the stove to secure a wandering scrap of some- 
thing that had escaped her broom. “ It makes me 
feel happy when I see the dust giving way to me, 
but I’d be cooler if I had the door open.” 

She opened the door into the front room where 
Patrick and Terence stood bending over Dennis and 
feeling of his long, soft ears. 

“The dust is laid, and I’ll soon be through my 
scrubbing and take you out to the park,” said Rosie 
encouragingly, and the twins laughed and sat down 
on Dennis. 

It seemed a pity not to scrub the steps that led 
down into the yard when Rosie had finished the outer 
room. She was on the lowest step when she heard a 
bumping, scraping sound and a loud bark from Dennis. 

She flew up the stairs and in through the kitchen 


4 1 


A Rose of Holly Court 

to find Patrick and Terence in the little front entry 
with the old bed-lounge stuck fast in the doorway 
through which they were trying to drag it. Rosie 
clambered over the lounge and hastily untied the 
twins. They looked frightened but proud. 

“ To think of the strength that’s in you two,” said 
Rosie, lifting her eyes to the ceiling. “ I’d never have 
believed it ! We’ll have to take the castors off the 
lounge before I tie you up again. I was longer than 
I meant to be, and you wanted to get out with the 
rest of the little boys. Sister knows all about it.” 

She pushed the bed-lounge into place, ran to the 
yard for her pail and cloth, and in five minutes she 
was sitting under the tree with Patrick and Terence, 
fanning herself with a tattered picture-book and sing- 
ing Tim’s baby to sleep. 

In a little while she grew drowsy herself. The 
baby’s eyes were tight shut. Dennis, with his head 
in her lap was sound asleep, and the children’s voices 
sounded fainter and farther away. She had nodded 
once when she was roused by the sound of a strange 
voice. 

“ Where does Mrs. Dolan live ? ” she heard a man 
ask. “ There’s been an accident.” 

She sprang to her feet, clutching the baby. The 


4 2 


A Rose of Holly Court 

man was speaking to Johnny Cassidy. She ran out 
of the park, toward him. 

“What’s happened to my mother?” she asked in a 
frightened whisper. “ She’s not killed ? ” 

The man had a kind face, and he looked pitifully at 
Rosie who now stood perfectly still, her frightened 
eyes fastened on him. Dennis had followed and stood 
close beside her. 

“ It’s not your mother, little girl,” he said gravely, 
“ but I reckon it’s your brother — Robert Dolan his 
name is. He had an accident in the engine room and 
lie’s been taken to the hospital. No, no, child, he 
won’t die, but he’s badly hurt.” 

“ Wait a minute,” said Rosie with sudden dig- 
nity. She had seen that the old parasol was be- 
ing lifted from its position. In another moment 
Maggie would have left the park and come to in- 
quire into things. She waved her hand toward her 
sisters. 

“ Stay where you are till I tell you not to,” she 
called authoritatively, and then she stepped close to 
the stranger. 

“ Please come inside the door,” she whispered, u and 
tell me all about it, and how I can go to see my 
brother. My brother Tim’s starting for the West to- 


A Rose of Holly Court 43 

day and my mother’s gone to see him off ; she’ll be 
coming back soon, and I’m in charge while she’s away, 
for I’m the oldest girl at home.” 

She led the way into the house carefully, so that 
she did not wake Tim’s baby. She closed the door 
behind her guest, leaving poor Dennis who had not 
been invited to enter, sitting on the top step with 
wistful eyes. 

“ It’s pretty hard to be shut out,” thought Dennis, 
“ when I know she needs me to comfort her. Doors 
are dreadful things. But not as bad as Dog Shows,” 
he reflected after a minute. Then he brightened up 
amazingly and turned his head so he could gaze 
affably down on the dogs in the park with whom he 
never was allowed to play or quarrel. And just as he 
was beginning to count up his blessings, the door 
opened again, the stranger went away and Rosie 
sitting down on the step beside him laid her cheek 
against his soft head. 

“ You’ve got to be the man o’ this family till Bob 
comes home,” she whispered to him, “ and there’ll be 
some hard times coming before that day, Dennis. 
There may be days when you’ll not have so much to 
eat as I’d like. But you’ll stay by me, won’t you 
now ? ” 


44 A Rose of Holly Court 

Dennis could not speak, to be sure, but Kosie, look- 
ing into the beautiful brown eyes, was comforted, and 
never noticed the lack of words. 


CHAPTER Y 


THE LITTLE BREAD-WINNER 

Miss Dorothy Rowe was an orphan, but the uncle 
and aunt with whom she lived counted her as one of 
their own children. They had given a grudging con- 
sent to her wish to help in the work of the new Settle- 
ment, and as the days grew hotter they insisted that 
she take an occasional vacation to be with them at 
the seashore. 

Miss Dorothy loved them dearly, but she was so 
much interested in the children left behind in Main 
Street and Holly Court that she regretted the time 
spent away from them that summer. She was well 
and strong, and the heat troubled her little. 

“Hot anymore than it does down here,” she in- 
sisted, pleading prettily with her uncle the day after 
Tim had started for the West and poor Bob had been 
taken to the hospital with a broken arm and a dread- 
fully bruised and cut head. 

“I’ve been here a whole week now, uncle dear,” 
said Miss Dorothy earnestly, “ and there are a dozen 

children waiting to hear the end of a fairy story for 
45 


46 A Rose of Holly Court 

one thing. Just think of that ! If you hadn’t very 
much to eat or to wear and had to live with five or 
six in a room, in a stuffy place, how would you like to 
wait more than a week for the end of a fairy stor} r ? ” 

“ Your question is unanswerable, Dorothy,” admit- 
ted her uncle gravely. “ I see that I am not only 
selfish but without a reasonable excuse.” 

Then Miss Dorothy kissed him on his bald spot and, 
knowing she was forgiven, took the next train for the 
city. 

The children all hailed her with joy and had many 
things to tell. A great deal could happen in a week, 
and Miss Dorothy must hear it all. 

“ I was thinking as I came up in the train this 
morning that perhaps Rosie would be here this after- 
noon, and it might be a good day to finish the story 
of Princess Anita,” said Miss Dorothy. 

“ Rosie Dolan can’t come ! Oh, Rosie can’t come ! ” 
a dozen voices cried in chorus. Then Gussie Sullivan 
poked the others into silence and took the place of 
spokesman. 

“ Rosie’s family’s having a bad time,” said Gussie, 
speaking as fast as she could lest after all some one 
should break in and tell part of the news. “ I don’t 
know however they’re going to live, nor my mother 


47 


A Rose of Holly Court 

doesn’t, nor nobody else does. First, her brother 
Tim, that’s the widower, took his bag — prob’ly ’twas 
his mother’s — all jammed full o’ clothes and went 
away out West to get into a new job with Mrs. 
Dolan’s cousin, so they’ll get nothing from him, and 
then Bob, that’s the other brother ” 

“ Stop a minute, Gussie,” begged Miss Dorothy, 
“ and tell me when all this happened.” 

“ Yesterday,” said Gussie, almost screaming in her 
impatience to get on with her news and in her fear of 
interruption. “’Twas yesterday every bit of it all 
happened. And then, her brother Bob, he was at his 
work, and something bursted in the machinery or the 
engine, any way something fell on to him and he’s got 
his elbow and seven or eight other bones in his arm 
broken, and his head is all bruised so you wouldn’t 
know it. But he’ll get well, the doctor says. And 
when Mrs. Dolan came home — she was to the depot 
seeing Tim off when it happened — when she heard 
the news, she gave just the one screech, and they 
heard it away up at the Goldsteins’ corner, didn’t you, 
Annie ? and then she fell over and fainted dead away 
and never came to till they emptied the watering-pot 
over her twice ! ” 

At last Gussie felt that it was safe to pause for 


48 A Rose of Holly Court 

breath. Before Miss Dorothy could speak, little 
Annie Goldstein said her word in the tranquil voice 
inherited from her slow-moving mother. 

“ She screeched just like as if a pin had run into 
her,” Annie’s eyes were fixed calmly on Miss Dorothy 
to make sure that she understood. “ My mother said 
she knew it was Mrs. Dolan’s voice for there wasn’t 
anybody else could screech so high, so she went right 
down there and saw Rosie, and Rosie’s face was 
white and the tears were all running down and my 
mother wiped them off and she stayed till Mrs. Dolan 
waked up again. Mrs. Cassidy was out washing or 
she’d have been there, and Mrs. Halloran was 
away.” 

“ Poor dear little Rosie ! ” said Miss Dorothy, her 
eyes filled with tears. “ I must go there just as soon 
as the hurdy-gurdy comes, and see if there is any- 
thing I can do.” 

“ Norah used to earn four dollars a week,” said 
Gussie, thoughtfully. “ My mother says it was hard 
luck having that money taken away, and now they’ve 
got nothing at all.” 

“ My mother was down there this morning and she 
lent them a dollar,” said Annie Goldstein. “ It’s the 
poor time of year in father’s shop for nobody buys 


A Rose of Holly Court 49 

many clothes in the summer, and there’s twelve of us, 
counting my two grandmothers.” 

“ Miss Dorothy,” said Gussie eagerly, “ if you want 
to go round to the Dolans’ now, why don’t you just 
turn us out into the street to play ? I feel kind of 
noisy and it’s cool enough for anybody out on the 
steps. We can shut the door and then the einbroid’ry 
class won’t hear us shouting and be disturbed. 
Theresa’s so proud you can’t touch her these days,” 
and Gussie’s sharp chin was elevated to express the 
pride of her sister. 

It was a cool day for midsummer for there had 
been a heavy shower in the night, and there was a 
refreshing east wind. It blew strong into Holly 
Court from the car-barn end. Miss Dorothy was 
vaguely reminded of her grandfather’s old farm. 

The children and dogs were playing on the side- 
walk and in the little park. The door of the Dolans’ 
house stood half open with a brick to keep it in place. 
Dennis with his head on the threshold lay in the 
entry, keeping guard. He rose and gravely held out 
his right paw when Miss Dorothy asked him to shake 
hands. She lingered on the doorstep, for there was 
no sound from indoors except the quick ticking of the 
little alarm clock, but after a moment Dennis turned 


5 ° 


A Rose of Holly Court 

his head toward the door of the sitting-room and 
wagged his tail. 

“ Shall I go in ? ” asked Miss Dorothy, and Dennis 
said “ woof ” very softly and wagged his tail again. 

He stepped politely to one side as she moved to- 
ward the door, and when she reached it he watched 
her anxiously. 

It was at once a pretty and pathetic sight that met 
Miss Dorothy’s eye. On the bed-lounge sat Rosie 
sound asleep with the family gathered around her. 
Maggie was on the floor, her fair hair resting against 
Rosie’s knees. The twins were lying on the lounge 
with their heads in Rosie’s lap ; Celia was sitting 
as close as she possibly could, leaning against Rosie’s 
arm, and cuddled close to Rosie's tear-stained cheeks 
was the baby — Augustin Charles. The capable little 
hands that worked so hard when Rosie Dolan was 
awake were folded in her lap for once. 

As Miss Dorothy stood a moment in the doorway a 
lump rose in her throat ; but even as she looked the 
blue gray eyes opened wide, and the face of the little 
house-mother smiled faintly at her. 

“ My mother’s in my bedroom taking a bit of rest,” 
she whispered, beckoning Miss Dorothy to her, “so 
you’ll excuse my being so bold to ask you in, instead of 


A Rose of Hol/y Court 51 

getting up. And the children, I’ve got them all 
asleep telling them the story about ‘ the little rid hin.’ 
I told it over and over till my throat was as dry as a 
cracker, and Maggie was the last to go to sleep. My 
mother said ’twas not fit for the children to be out 
playing on the street the first day my brother Bob’s 
in the hospital. I suppose you heard the bad news ? ” 

Rosie’s voice was not used to so much whispering 
and this long speech ended in a cough ; it was sup- 
pressed but it served to waken Maggie who sat up and 
stared at the visitor. 

“ Maggie, don’t you think you and I could slip the 
twins’ heads off Rosie’s lap without waking them?” 
and Miss Dorothy leaned coaxingly over Maggie who 
slowly rose, a roguish smile spreading over her face. 

“’Twould be easy enough,” she said delightedly, 
“ and we can lay Celia alongside o’ them and the baby 
on top ; and they’d never know the difference till 
they woke up. Then they’d howl,” said Maggie, 
speaking from a large experience ; “ but ’twouldn’t be 
for an hour yet, maybe.” 

The scheme was carried out, with many low giggles 
from Miss Dorothy’s assistant and much anxiety on 
Rosie’s part. When at last she was freed from her 
various weights and burdens she would have fallen if 


5 2 


A Rose of Holly Court 

it had not been for Miss Dorothy’s arm, for her whole 
little body was asleep, and had a most uncomfortable 
awaking with cramps and prickles that were hard to 
bear quietly. 

“ O dear, I wish I could go out a minute ! ” sighed 
Maggie, and Rosie gave her a glance of sympathy. 

“Run out in the back yard, so you won’t stay but 
ten minutes,” she said generously. “Mother wouldn’t 
be finding fault with that, and you’ll get the breath 
of air you’re longing for. It’s different for me, being 
so much older, and I’m not caring to go either.” 

She took the guest out into the entry and closed 
the door of the room where the four little Dolans lay 
sound asleep. Then she braced her tired back against 
the dingy wall and smiled bravely up at Miss 
Dbrothy. 

“ I’m going out to hunt for work to-morrow,” she 
said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. 
“ My mother’s not able to do anything unless it would 
be a bit of sewing if I’d get it for her. I’ll see to 
that, if there’s a chance. But there’s lots o’ places I 
might get work, and I’ll try ’em all till I find one. 
There’s the grocery at the corner of Maple Street and 
the laundry' and the rest’rant. Oh, there’s a fine lot 
o’ places where they might take me. And I can 


53 


A Rose of Holly Court 

scrub. Would you ever be wanting any extra scrub- 
bing done at the Settlement ? If you do, and I don’t 
get a regular place, but just here an’ there, would you 
please to remember me, Miss Dorothy ?” 

“ O, Rosie, you’re too little to go about working,” 
said Miss Dorothy, her eyes full of pity. “ You must 
let some of us who have money that we don’t need to 
spend for ourselves, help you at least until your 
brother Bob is out of the hospital and well again, and 
your brother Tim can send you a little now and 
then.” 

But Rosie’s drooping figure straightened and her 
head took an independent tilt on her shoulders. Her 
eyes opened wide in frank amazement. 

“Why, there’s many smaller than I am that earn 
their living,” she said, stiffening her spine and makitfg 
herself as tall as possible. “ I know a girl — she’s not 
got the half o’ my strength — and she’s a cash-girl 
and earns her three dollars every week, and she’s the 
promise of more soon. But I couldn’t take a place 
like that for I’ve got to be near home some o’ the time 
so I can mind the children and ’tend to some o’ the 
housework and do the cooking, for my mother’s awful 
delicate. I’m thinking if I could scrub and run 
errands and ’tend in some place like the laundry while 


54 A Rose of Holly Court 

the reg’lar ones ate their dinners, ’twould be best for 
me.” 

“ O, Rosie, it seems to me you’re undertaking a 
great deal,” faltered Miss Dorothy. “At any rate 
you must let me come to see how you are getting on, 
every day or two, and if you don’t succeed in finding 
work, you must surely let me know. Promise.” 

She felt helpless before the energy and independ- 
ence of this little slip of a girl, and her tone was 
really beseeching. 

“Yes, indeed, I’ll promise,” said Rosie gravely, 
“ why not ? You’re a true friend ever since first I 
saw you. I might ask to leave some o’ the children 
at the Settlement once in awhile when Dennis and I 
would be going to the hospital to see my brother Bob 
and my mother would be getting a little bit o’ rest. 
And you’ll not forget about the scrubbing, please? 
And thank you kindly for com ” 

Here there came from behind the closed door a 
sound of united wailing such as never before had 
reached Miss Dorothy’s ears. And it was at its height 
when Maggie opened the door and ran out into the 
entry. 

“ Oh, oh, they’ve waked up ! ” she cried joyfully. 
“ And Pat he’s got his hands in Celia’s hair and 


A Rose of Holly Court 55 

Terence is pounding him, and Tim’s baby has rolled 
underneath ! And mother’s waked up too, and she 
says ” 

But what Mrs. Dolan said, Miss Dorothy never 
knew, for she beat a hasty retreat as Rosie, polite but 
troubled, gasped, “ Please, I’ve got to go in to them ! ” 
and vanished, shutting the door behind her. 


CHAPTER VI 


A SUCCESSFUL DAY 

The next morning when the birds in the country 
were beginning to chirp, Rosie Dolan woke and lay 
planning her day’s campaign. In spite of her brave 
words to Miss Dorothy, down in the bottom of her 
heart the little girl knew that her prospects were by 
no means bright. People who wished to hire a child 
of her age might easily prefer one who was not so 
hampered by work which must be done at home. 

“ It’ll be a hard day, most likely,” thought Rosie. 
She lay very still for fear of waking the twins or the 
baby. “ I hope my mother won’t have one of her 
bad heads.” 

Mrs. Dolan’s head had ached the night before. 
That was why Maggie and Celia had Rosie’s room, 
and Mrs. Dolan slept alone on the wide bed-lounge. 
Rosie was stowed away with the three little ones in 
her brothers’ room, so that if there were any crying 
in the night, Rosie might have the sole benefit of it. 
The door between her and the rest of the family was 
shut, and just outside it lay Dennis. Rosie could hear 
56 


A Rose of Holly Court 57 

him snuffling a little, and it made her smile in spite of 
her cares. 

“ He’s having a dream,” she thought. “ I’m won- 
dering what his dreams are about. It’s animals that 
have the grand luck, with no money depending on 
them. Oh, I wish I was as big as Norah ! What’ll 
she say when she hears the news ? My mother said I 
must write her careful, so Mr. Patrick Knowles would 
never know we were in want of anything. He has 
only the seven dollars a week, she says, and his 
mother living with ’em. Seven dollars sounds like a 
great lot for only three people — but my mother says 
they’ll prob’ly lay by some of it. It’s getting lighter 
and lighter ; it’s time I was up.” 

Gently and with great care she laid the twins and 
Augustin Charles at one side of the bed, and slowly 
crept out, without waking one of them. The bare 
floor felt cool to her little feet and she decided not to 
put on shoes and stockings until later. She gathered 
her clothes in a bunch and tiptoed out into the kitchen. 
There was a fearful moment when the door creaked 
as she opened it, but nobody stirred after all. 

In the kitchen Rosie sat down to do some mending 
for which she had no time the day before. It was a 
rent in an old faded blue dress of her mother’s which 


58 A Rose of Holly Court 

they had decided would be the best thing for Eosie to 
wear that day. The rent was exactly in the middle 
of the front breadth, just as if it had been accurately 
measured by Patrick whose clutching fingers had 
made it. There was no blue thread in the house, but 
it seemed as if strong black linen thread was 
after all the best thing in the world to mend a 
jagged, three-cornered tear. When her work was 
finished Eosie held it off, surveying it with honest 
pride. 

Then the skirt had to be shortened a little, not 
much, for Mrs. Dolan Avas not tall, and the skirt must 
nearly touch the ground. Eosie relied on its length 
to give her the appearance of a person well advanced 
in age. She was not skilled in dressmaking, and the 
hem of the dress (sewed in white cotton, for the linen 
thread seemed needlessly strong for that purpose) 
wavered about her feet in uncertain lines. But no- 
body found any fault with it when Eosie put it on 
after breakfast. She served that meal at six o’clock 
and Maggie and Celia helped her clear up the kitchen 
after it. 

Then Eosie gave her orders for the day. Mrs. 
Dolan had a headache, but was pleased to hope that 
it would “ pass off slow and be gone by night.” Eosie 


A Rose of Holly Court 59 

ranged the children against the kitchen wall and bent 
a firm gaze on each of them in turn. 

“ Now,” she said, “ I’m going off, and I can’t say 
when I’ll be back. It’s a fine morning, and you can 
all play out in the yard. Maggie and Celia, you can 
go as far as the Cassidys’, but only the one of you at 
once, so’s not to leave the twins alone. I’ll set the 
baby’s box with his pillow in it, out on the steps, and 
Dennis will guard him. I shall lock the front door 
and put the key out o’ sight, for my mother wants to 
be quiet and somebody might come stepping in.” 

Maggie grumbled a little over her restricted free- 
dom, but when she saw Rosie’s worried face she 
threw her arms about her sister and promised to do 
everything just as Rosie had said. When the faded 
blue gown had gone at last, the most unresigned of 
all the company in the yard was Dennis. He under- 
stood that he was to guard the baby, but what a 
morning it was for a run through the yards and up 
and down the alley in case any kindly disposed per- 
son had left an open gate ! 

“ I’ll manage to get a turn before the morning is 
over,” thought Dennis, and he laid his plans accordingly. 

Rosie walked to the corner with Mrs. Cassidy who 
was starting out for a day’s scrubbing. 


60 A Rose of Holly Court 

“You look ’most the age of your mother, Eosie, 
with that long skirt and your hair braided so tight,” 
said Mrs. Cassidy, “and the shawl too. But aren’t 
you warm in all those clothes, this hot morn- 
ing ? ” 

“ I’m ’most roasted,” said Eosie. “ Did you notice 
my collar, Mrs. Cassidy ? It’s near choking me, but 
my mother said she liked the neat look of my neck in 
it. There come those boys from the tenement. I’ll 
hurry for fear they’ll hoot at my clothes, for they’ve 
no manners in them at all. Good-bye.” 

“ Good-bye and good luck to you,” said Mrs. 
Cassidy warmly, for their ways parted at the corner 
of Main Street, and she was sorry. “She’s starting 
out so full o’ hope, poor little Eosie,” she said to her- 
self as she trudged along to her work after a last look 
at the old blue skirt. 

The laundry was kept by two Chinamen, but Eosie 
had no regard for one nationality above another, so 
long as people were pleasant, and she saw no reason 
why the Chinamen should have the least objections to 
employing her. But the laundry was not open at 
seven o’clock which was the time Eosie reached it, 
though she knew that Wun Lung and Li Hop were 
inside, hard at work. She pounded with her fists on 


A Rose of Holly Court 61 

the door and rattled vigorously at the knob but all to 
no avail. 

“ Ain’t* you pretty early with your order,” asked a 
man who was lounging against the window. “ Is it 
your father’s line white shirts that ought to have 
been home last night, you’re after ? Tell him to try 
one of his silk ones instead.” 

Rosie’s tongue was seldom sharp to her friends, but 
she never retreated at a time like this. She turned 
and looked the lounger squarely in the face. 

“My father is dead this two years,” she said, as she 
moved away from the door, “ and if he’d heard you 
speaking like that, the shirt you’ve got on this minute 
would be needing somebody to iron it smooth, be- 
fore you and my father parted. I’ll bid you good- 
day, thanking you for your politeness.” 

The last word was spoken in as scornful a tone as 
Rosie could produce, and had its effect on the man 
who looked after the straight little figure with con- 
siderable respect. 

“ I mistrust I’m kind of early,” said Rosie when she 
found that a little grocery store on which she had 
counted, was being swept and sprinkled by the boy 
who told her the proprietor would not be there for 
another fifteen minutes. 


62 A Rose of Holly Court 

“ What d’you want ? ” asked the boy. “ He don’t 
give away any groceries, now I can tell you that. 
It’s all cash or nothing with him. Say, havenr’t I seen 
you here begging before ? ” 

“You’ve seen me here on errands with money in 
my hands,” said Rosie indignantly. Then she re- 
alized that the boy meant no harm, and smiled at 
him. “ Do you run all the errands for this store ? ” 
she asked. 

“ I do all I can’t get out of,” said the boy, leaning 
on his broom to look at her. “ What are you up to ? 
I guess you can’t get my job for any brother o’ yours. 
I’m solid with him. He wouldn’t lose me for fifty 
dollars a week, not much.” 

He grinned impudently down on Rosie, and the 
mention of fifty dollars frightened her for a minute. 
Then she smiled shrewdly up at the tall boy. 

“ My brothers are too big for this job, even if they 
wanted it,” she said, “ but if you’re getting fifty dol- 
lars a week, wouldn’t you like me to sweep and 
sprinkle the floor for you mornings, and you get a 
little beauty sleep on one o’ the barrels ? ” 

The boy’s grin widened. 

“ Look here,” he said, “ who are you any way, sis ? 
I’ve only been tending here for a week, and I 


A Rose of Holly Court 63 

s’pose you know it. Tell me what you’re up to, I 
say ? ” 

Then Rosie told him — not everything, but enough, 
and the boy listened. 

“ See here,” he said, when she had finished, “ if you 
don’t get any reg’lar job, you come around here 
mornings and help me and I’ll give you five cents 
every time. I suppose you don’t mind what the 
weather is. I shouldn’t wear that rig you’ve got on, 
though. My name is Sam — Sam Mawley.” 

Rosie was radiant. She smiled at the boy so grate- 
fully that he felt himself a benefactor. 

“ There’s thirty cents a week, sure,” she said, her 
eyes sparkling at the thought of her earnings. “ And 
I’ll have time for it even if I get a reg’lar place for 
part of every day. You let me take the broom a 
minute and show you what I can do.” 

She gathered her skirt up around her waist and 
holding it in place with a large pin taken from her 
shawl which she handed to Sam Mawley, she pro- 
ceeded to sweep out the still unswept portion of the 
store with a vigor which sent a cloud of dust out of 
the door. Then she seized the watering pot and with 
excellent judgment bestowed its few remaining drops 
where they were most needed. 


64 A Rose of Holly Court 

“ Now I’ll be off to the rest’rant,” she said as she 
set down the watering pot, dropped her skirt and 
resumed her shawl. “ And I’ll be here before the 
clock strikes seven to-morrow, rain or shine, and I’ll 
be in my short clothes. Good-bye and thank you for 
a kind boy.” 

“ I couldn’t bear the thoughts of asking to run er- 
rands there, after all, for maybe ’twould lose him his 
job, or some o’ his wages,” she said as she went along 
to the restaurant. “ I wonder has he any family ; I 
never remembered to ask him. Oh, there’s a great 
rush o’ people going into the door. I’ll wait till they 
get sat down to the tables and then I’ll slip in and ask 
to see Mr. Patey.” 

Mr. Patey was the proprietor of the restaurant, a 
large, red-faced man with unpleasantly small eyes 
which disappeared entirely in creases of flesh when he 
laughed as he often did. His was not a merry laugh, 
Rosie thought. She had seen Mr. Patey twice at the 
Goldsteins’ and she did not like his face. It was a 
shrewd face and a crafty one. Rosie had a feeling 
that if- Mr. Patey had not happened to marry Mrs. 
Goldstein’s sister the Goldsteins would not have liked 
him any better than she did, although he was a pros^ 
perous man, for the restaurant paid well ; people 


A Rose of Holly Court 65 

would eat, no matter what happened, and the restau- 
rant prices, though not the lowest, were low enough 
to attract the shop-girls and clerks who lived near 
and had no homes of their own where food could be 
cooked. 

A dozen young men and women had trooped in 
through the wide open doors as Rosie reached the 
place, and she waited until they had found seats be- 
fore venturing to follow. Mr. Fatey was behind the 
desk and he nodded to her as she entered, and then 
beckoned her to go to him. 

“ What do you want, you little Dolan ? ” he asked, 
reaching over the desk to bring his fat face unpleas- 
antly close to Rosie’s. “ You want some broken 
bread or anything ? I hear you have trouble in your 
family. But you go round to the back door on the 
alley, if you want anything like that. My son he will 
give you a big plateful for only five cents. And it is 
all good — excellent — only broken, you understand.” 

“ If you please, I didn’t come for any food,” said 
Rosie, flushing. “ I’ve had my breakfast. I came to 
see if there was any chance for me to wait on table 
here awhile, in the busy time of day. I’m real quick 
on my feet, Mr. Fatey, and my arms are strong.” 

Mr. Fatey stared at her for a moment in silence, and 


66 A Rose of Holly Court 

then his disagreeable smile creased his face and his 
eyes disappeared. He put out a fat hand and took 
hold of Rosie’s arm. 

“ Come in here, back of the desk,” he whispered, 
“ and you can watch the girls, and see how they wait. 
I need one more for noons — from eleven to three, and 
I will take you if you show me you can do it well. 
You can watch now and this noon you can practise 
on the tables in the corner while I watch, and if you 
do pretty well, I engage you for one week, see ? ” 

Rosie had stepped behind the desk with the first 
words, and her eyes were busy at their new task 
while she listened to Mr. Patey’s whisper. When he 
had stopped speaking she turned to look up at him 
with her clear, searching gaze. 

“ What will I be earning ? ” she asked. “ I’ve got 
one job already that’ll bring me in thirty cents a 
week. I must make all I can, you know, Mr. Patey, 
while my brother Bob is in the hospital.” 

Mr. Patey endeavored to summon an expression of 
benevolence to his face, but it sat awkwardly there, as 
if it were a reluctant and unaccustomed visitor. He 
looked more unpleasant than usual, as he stood rub- 
bing his fat hands together and looking down at 
Rosie. 


A Rose of Holly Court 67 

“Well,” he said, “I must be very liberal to the 
little Dolan, because of her brother. I will make 
it” — he paused — “I will make it a dollar a week,” he 
said with outstretched hands. 

Kosie was filled with surging joy, but she tried to 
contain it. 

“Well,” she said, pausing as if considering the mat- 
ter, while she really was catching her breath which 
had been almost taken away. “ I will come to you 
for a dollar a week, Mr. Patey, and work faithful. 
I’ll put on a white apron. I’ll run home and'get it 
now.” 

“ My little Dolan, there is an apron here you can 
have to-day.” Mr. Patey spoke hastily with the 
vision of losing his new and economical waitress. 
“You sign a little paper I make out, just for an un- 
derstanding between us two, to say you work for me 
from eleven to three every day till your brother 
comes out of the hospital. Will you ?” 

“ ’Course I will, Mr. Patey.” The blue-gray eyes 
were watching the tables now and not his face. “ But 
my word’s as good as my writing any day. I’ll stay 
here now and watch till breakfast’s over, and then I’ll 
go hunt for an afternoon job, and be back here before 
eleven.” 


68 A Rose of Holly Court 

“Very well,” said Mr. Patey eagerly, and set about 
making out the little paper. 

Long before the last table had lost its last guest 
and Rosie was free to hunt again, the little paper was 
carefully locked in Mr. Patey’s money-drawer, and 
across its width straggled in uneven letters the name 
of Rosie Dolan. 


CHAPTER VII 


THE CHINESE BABY 

Rosie hesitated as she stepped out of the restaurant, 
being uncertain which way to turn. 

“ There’s the big crockery store,” she thought, “ and 
there’s the meat-shop ; but they wouldn’t want a girl 
at the meat-shop, and anyway I’d be hungry all the 
time, seeing so much to eat. The only thing would 
be that I’d get a bone for Dennis now and then. I 
wonder if I can spare a cent a day to feed him ? ” 

She stood thinking for a minute and then stepped 
briskly along to the butcher’s. He was a fat man, 
but his face was quite different from Mr. Patey’s. 
Rosie liked him, and he liked her though she was a 
small customer in every sense of the word. 

“ What can I do for you to-day ? ” he asked pleas- 
antly as Rosie crossed the threshold. “About time 
that ham gave out, isn’t it ? ” 

Rosie shook her head. 

“ There’s a good bit of it left yet, Mr. Faxon,” she 
said soberly. “ But I’m thinking, could you give me 

a bone for my dog every day for a cent ? Could you 
69 * 


7 ° 


A Rose of Holly Court 

do it without losing money, I mean ? I’ll be passing 
here every morning most likely, now, for I’ve got a 
place to work while my brother’s in the hospital, and 
I could spare a cent for Dennis, and hardly miss it.” 

The butcher’s red face grew a shade redder as he 
looked down at Rosie. 

“ Don’t talk to me about paying for a bone for your 
dog now and then,” he said, patting her shoulder, 
“but tell me about your brother. Which one is it 
that’s in the hospital. Tim ? ” 

“ Oh no, Tim’s gone away out West,” she said, and 
then told her story as she had told it to Sam Mawley, 
only more freely, for the butcher was an old friend. 

“I was up country yesterday,” said Mr. Faxon, still 
patting Rosie’s hand, “ or I’d have heard about it 
from some of the people in Holly Court. The Hal- 
lorans are pretty regular customers of mine.” 

“They’ve got money in the bank,” said Rosie. 
There were some strawberries near her and in spite 
of herself her little nose sniffed just as a cat’s nose 
would sniff fish, though she turned resolutely away 
from the sight of them. 

Mr. Faxon watched her, pondering in his mind 
what it was best to do. 

“.Now look here, child, nobody’s going to see you 


7 1 


A Rose of Holly Court 

working yourself to death and all of you starving for 
the next few weeks, with the heat and all,” said the 
butcher as he turned from Rosie and took up a long, 
sharp knife. “ I’m going to cut you off some meat 
and you take it right straight home to your mother, 
and one or the other of you cook it.” 

Rosie moved close to him and seized his coat-sleeve 
with a firm grasp. 

“We don’t need meat, but just a little bit, in sum- 
mer,” she said, “ and we aren’t going to have a thing 
we can’t pay for, Mr. Faxon. We never have, except- 
ing Christmas and Thanksgiving, when they send us 
the turkey. No, sir ! Didn’t you hear me telling you, 
I’ve got two places already ; that’s a dollar and thirty 
cents a week, sure ; and I’m hunting for an afternoon 
place now, and I’ll find one too, somewhere. I get 
through the rest’rant at three, and I’d like to go home 
and look after the children till five and then I could 
run errands from that till seven, and be home in time 
to get the twins and Tim’s baby into bed. I can ’tend 
to the housework in the morning, between my two 
places. Oh, I’m the luckiest girl! And I hear people 
talking, talking, about how hard it is to find work.” 

“ What does your mother do ? ” asked Mr, Faxon, 
as he reluctantly put down his knife. 


72 . A Rose of Holly Court 

Rosie looked at him with reproachful eyes, as if he 
had hurt her. 

“Everybody that knows my mother, knows she has 
only the weeny little bit o’ strength in her,” said 
Rosie ; “ she makes the great plans, but then she has 
to give up and lie down when the weakness comes 
over her. I’m like my father ; there’s nothing makes 
me sick, and it’s seldom I get very tired. Oh, there’s 
few as strong as Rosie, Mr. Faxon ! ” 

The butcher really looked distressed, and cast 
about in his mind to see what he could do to help out 
the Dolans, without rousing the little girl’s pride. 

“ Well now, you let me give you a few vegetables,” 
he said. “ I’ve got some potatoes and onions and 
beets here that are just going to waste for want of 
somebody to cook them. I’ll let you pay three cents 
for them, rather than quarrel with you, though 
’twould actually be an accommodation if you’d take 
them off my hands.” 

Rosie looked up at him steadily, a smile beginning 
to twitch at her lips. 

“Oho, Mr. Faxon,” she said gaily, “I wonder the 
potatoes and the beets and the onions don’t rise right 
out o’ their boxes when they hear you talking like 
that ! I’ll see what money I have when the day’s 


73 


A Rose of Holly Court 

gone. Maybe I’ll afford a few vegetables out o’ my 
income — just to accommodate you ! And now I must" 
be off to the laundry.” 

“ What do you expect to get out of those Chinee 
fellows ? ” demanded the butcher. As he spoke he 
saw the uncontrollable movement of Rosie’s nostrils 
as in turning she once more caught the scent of the 
strawberries. A bright thought came to him, but he 
kept it to himself just then. 

“ I don’t know what I’ll get,” and Rosie’s head 
took its independent tilt, “ but I’m thinking ’twill not 
do me nor them any harm to just step in and pass the 
time o’ day with ’em. Good-bye, Mr. Faxon, and 
don’t forget the little bone for Dennis.” 

Wun Lung and Li Hop were talking busily over 
their work when Rosie entered the little shop. Wun 
Lung was ironing a shirt-waist and Li Hop was 
adding up the accounts in a blank-book. Evidently 
something had gone wrong, for Li Hop looked de- 
pressed and Wun Lung slapped^the iron down on the 
shirt-waist in a way that showed he was much ex- 
cited. Both men nodded to Rosie, but paid no fur- 
ther attention to her. Suddenly Wun Lung put down 
his iron, seized the account-book, and shut it up with 
a slam. Then he sputtered away in Chinese until 


74 


A Rose of Holly Court 

poor Li Hop ran over to a pile of clothes and began 
to fold them rapidly, with a very meek face. He was 
much younger than Wun Lung. 

The children of the neighborhood often stepped 
into the laundry for awhile to watch the Chinamen at 
work, but at last it occurred to Wun Lung that this 
little girl had not the care-free face of a visitor. 

“Want anything?” he inquired, his eyes wander- 
ing curiously over her face and down the waist of the 
old gown along the skirt to the rent with its black 
linen stitches ; there his gaze rested calmly Avhile 
Rosie spoke. 

“I’m obliged to earn money right off,” she said 
simply. “ One of my brothers has gone away, and 
the other is in the hospital on account of an accident, 
Mr. Lung, and my mother is too weak to be running 
out to work, and I’m the oldest child at home. And 
we’ve only got a little bit saved for the rent. Could 
I take home some o’ the parcels for you afternoons, or 
do something, Mr. Lung?” 

Wun Lung shook his head and then Li Hop shook 
his, long and hard. 

“Ho work here for li’l girl,” said Wun Lung de- 
cidedly, Avithout any expression whatever on his yel- 
low face. “Wun Lung and Li Hop do everything. 



UJ HU W 

YflQMUAJ 


HE LOOKED LIKE A BIG DOLL 






A Rose of Holly Court 75 

Li’l Melican girl no use for Wun Lung and Li Hop. 
’Bye.” 

Ilis tone was so calm and even that Rosie’s heart 
sank. It seemed useless to argue here, though Wun 
Lung had not begun to iron again. His beady eyes 
were still fastened on the rent in Rosie’s dress. She 
turned to go when she found that something held her 
skirt. Looking down to see what it was she dis- 
covered a little yellow-white hand in a yellow sleeve 
which had clutched her skirt from under the table at 
which she was standing. 

She stooped down and there, sitting under the 
table, was a Chinese baby. He was fat and his little 
mouth was set in a half-smiling curve. He looked ex- 
actly like a big doll Rosie had once seen in a 
shop window. She beamed at him and he apparently 
enjoyed her scrutiny, for he clutched her skirt still 
tighter, and pulled himself out a little way into the 
light of day. He babbled some words that were evi- 
dently intended to convey a wish for more of Rosie’s 
society. Her face took on the look of delight which a 
baby always brought to it. 

“You little darling !” said Rosie; forgetting Wun 
Lung and Li Hop for the moment, she seated herself 
on the floor close to the tiny Chinaman, carefully, so 


76 A Rose of Holly Court 

he need not lose his hold on her skirt. “You little 
darling! Whose baby are you? Aren’t you the 
sweet little Chinese? Eosie’d like nothing better 
than to stay right here and play with you this whole 
morning long, and that’s the truth. And would you 
be pleased to see my twin brothers and my little speck 
of a nephew ? I know well you would. You’d have 
the grand time with them all, ’stead of staying here, 
so lonesome under the table. Why haven’t I ever 
got the sight of you before ? ” 

This conversation was accompanied by judicious 
hugs and pats of the baby who responded with more 
clutches and more babbling words. Eosie was so in- 
terested in him that she was unconscious of the silence 
in the shop. 

“ Good-bye till next time, Eosie’s got to go now,” 
she said at last, gently detaching the baby’s hands 
from her skirt. As she scrambled to her feet his 
mouth took on a piteous and trembling curve and his 
little yellow face puckered with disappointment and 
surprise. 

Eosie turned to find Wun Lung and Li Hop silently 
and gravely regarding her from the centre of the 
floor. Before they had time to speak, however, the 
baby had made up his mind and with a preliminary 


77 


A Rose of Holly Court 

catching of his breath he burst into a scream of rage 
and sorrow. Li Hop retreated hastily behind the 
counter and pretended to search for something, while 
Wun Lung looked greatly disturbed. 

“ He my boy,” he said, stooping over the baby who 
stared at him but kept on screaming, his yellow face 
actually growing pink in spots. “ Wun Lung and boy 
all alone ; my wife die las’ week.” 

Face to face with trouble of this sort, Rosie knew 
just what to do. Her eyes were full of sympathy in 
a moment. She held out her hand to the Chinaman 
and shook his limp fingers warmly. 

“ I’m as sorry as ever I can be, Mr. Lung,” she said, 
with much earnestness. “ How listen here ; I’ve my 
twin brothers and my brother Tim’s baby that’s lost 
his mother too, and I have them all three out in the 
park — in Holly Court where I live — every pleasant 
afternoon, and often I have the Cassidy baby when 
she is out washing and Yera’s spine is bad, and ’twould 
be the easy thing for me to fetch your baby along 
and give him a taste o’ the air — and I’d look after 
him well and love him up just as if he was my own.” 

While she talked Rosie had stooped and picked up 
the baby who stopped screaming and nestled against 
her shoulder as if he had known her all his days. 


78 A Rose of Holly Court 

“ Say, Mr. Lung, won’t you let me do it ? ” begged 
Rosie. “ It makes no trouble for me, and I’d hate to 
be thinking of him all by his little self under the 
table, and me with an empty hand for him.” 

Wun Lung had followed her speech with strict at- 
tention. What was in his mind no one could say, but 
he had evidently decided that the little girl’s plan had 
its good points. 

“ You play sometime here, sometime in park, some- 
time walkee on sidewalk, with How Do,” he said 
cheerfully. “How Do allee samee Melican namee,” 
he explained, “ and Wun Lung give you money.” 

“ Oh, I didn’t mean for money,” cried Rosie. 
“ Truly I didn’t, Mr. Lung ! ” 

Wun Lung gazed at her calmly, then, taking the 
baby from her and settling him on his own shoulder 
in as close a copy of Rosie’s method as he could make, 
he spoke his last words. 

“Wun Lung give you twenty-five cent a day, all 
but Sunday,” he said. “You tell Wun Lung what 
call you.” 

“ Rosie, Rosie Dolan,” the little girl could hardly 
speak for delight. “And if you ever do have any 
packages to be carried, Mr. Lung, I’ll take them, if 
’twas way over to Water Street.” 


79 


A Rose of Holly Court 

Water Street was at the very end of Rosie’s world, 
so this was as handsome an offer as she could make. 
But she thought of another thing she might do. 

“ And if ever you or Mr. Hop wanted me to add up 
any numbers for you,” she said, looking nowhere in 
particular, “ arithmetic’s my best study when I’m in 
school in the winter time. I’d rather do sums than 
any other thing,” she added with great emphasis, 
“ and — I could stop now if you’d have the wish, if 
there were numbers to be added, and you and Mr. 
Hop were too busy. I’ve got some time before I go 
back to the rest’rant.” 

Whether the iron slipped in Li Hop’s hand just 
then or whether he dropped it purposely in a sudden 
frenzy of joy, will never be known, but the iron fell 
to the floor with a thump, and Li Hop recovered it in 
some confusion, at the same time artlessly shoving the 
account-book along the counter with his elbow. 

It was a few minutes before Wun Lung made up 
his mind to accept this new offer from Bosie, but at 
the end of half-an-hour matters had been so satis- 
factorily arranged that a customer who brought in 
three collars to be washed, saw a strange sight. 

Perched on the high chair in one corner of the shop 
sat Rosie Dolan, her mouth moving fast, a pencil in 


80 A Rose of Holly Court 

one hand and the other patting something in her lap, 
The something was a Chinese baby — sound asleep 
with an account book resting undisturbed and open on 
his back. Wun Lung was ironing, and Li Hop, look- 
ing as if the weight of a nation had been lifted from 
his brow, was also ironing with a light and thankful 
heart. 


CHAPTEE VIII 


SUPPER FOR DENNIS 

When three o’clock came Eosie was so tired with 
excitement and her little feet ached and burned so 
that she could scarcely keep the tears from her 
eyes. 

“ I don’t see what makes my eyelashes keep getting 
wet,” she said to herself as she stood for a moment at 
the back door of the restaurant, and she rubbed her 
hand across the offending lashes two or three times to 
dry them. 

“ My stomach is full, too, so I’ve no excuse,” she 
added, though in that case her stomach must have 
been a most economical organ ; one slice of bread, 
and a small, gristly corner of steak fried beyond the 
liking of the man who had ordered the piece, had 
made her dinner. 

“ I say always my waitresses must have meat for 
their dinner,” Mr. Patey had said with a wave of his 
fat hands as he entered the kitchen where Eosie was 
eating this liberal repast. “ When a girl stands on 

her feet and runs for two, three hours, she needs 
81 


82 A Rose of Holly Court 

hearty food, little Dolan. You have done pretty well, 
to-day, pretty well.” 

There were four other waitresses, thin, untidy look- 
ing girls, nearly twice Rosie’s age. They eyed her 
with some curiosity and stupid good-nature as she sat 
quietly at work on the tough little scrap of steak. 
When Mr. Patey had left the kitchen one of them 
turned to the little girl with a half-hearted smile. 

“ See here,” she said, “ what are your folks thinking 
of to let you come here to work ? You’re too little. 
Look at me if you want to see what Patey’ll do for a 
girl ; I had some flesh on me when I began here, six 
weeks ago. I’m going back to Mendum’s just as soon 
as there’s a vacancy. I left there because I thought 
this would be easier work for the same money. But 
Patey never keeps a waitress more’n two months, 
I’ve found out since I came here. He’s a slick talker, 
but it’s all talk. If ever a girl earned her six dollars 
a week, I do.” 

At that moment it seemed as if Rosie’s heart stood 
still, and she could not even swallow the last mouthful 
of steak. 

“ How long — how many hours do you stay here 
every day ? ” she faltered. 

“ I come on at eleven^ and work till three, and then 


A Rose of Holly Court 83 

from seven till ten,” said the girl. “ Of course the 
work slacks up after nine, but I have to stay till ten. 
There’s another set here for breakfast and part of the 
evening, but they don’t get but five dollars. What’s 
Patey going to pay you ? I suppose he’s got you 
cheap because you’re little and green.” 

Rosie swallowed the morsel of steak with fierce de- 
termination before she could trust herself to speak. 

“ I’ve signed for a dollar a week from eleven to 
three, till my brother comes out o’ the hospital,” she 
said slowly. 

“ Well, of all the mean tricks Patey ’s played, that’s 
the worst ! ” said Rosie’s new friend indignantly. It’s 
the busiest time of day and you’ll be the quickest of 
the whole lot when you’ve been at it a day or two. 
He ought to give you every cent of three dollars, and 
I’d like to tell him so.” 

“ Please don’t,” pleaded Rosie, who had begun to 
remember how glad she was to have the promise of 
even a dollar. “ You see I’m little, and prob’ly he 
thought I wouldn’t be worth anv more. And I’ve got 
other places, too ; just you listen.” 

When she had finished her story, the older girl rose 
quickly, scattering crumbs about her, and pinned on a 
shabby hat. 


84 A Rose of Holly Court 

“I wish I had a little sister like you,” she said 
soberly; “I wish I had anybody. My name’s Lulu 
Monks. Say, Rosie, will you tell me if anything goes 
wrong with you and Patey ? Make believe I’m your 
sister Norah.” 

Rosie looked up at the thin face with its pale, rest- 
less eyes and thought of pretty Norah. 

“I’ll have you for my friend,” she said reaching on 
tiptoe to straighten the bow on Lulu’s shabby hat. 
“My mother’ll be glad I’ve got a friend that’s older 
than myself.” 

Rosie was thinking of Lulu as she walked slowly 
out of the restaurant. She also thought of Norah, to 
whom she must write a letter that evening. 

“I believe I’ll step home now and see how. they’re 
getting on and tell them the news,” she said, turning 
her face toward Holly Court. “ Mr. Lung won’t ex- 
pect me to go there this afternoon — not till to-morrow 
— and if everything’s all right at home I’ll go hunt 
for a little sewing for my mother, and then my day’s 
work’ll be done. It seems a long time I’ve been 
gone. I’ll stop in at Mr. Faxon’s and get the bone for 
Dennis.” 

The butcher was taking a rest in the back of the 
shop. Rosie thought he was asleep, but he opened 


A Rose of Holly Court 85 

his eyes wide as she stood looking at him, and stared 
at her fixedly for a moment before he spoke. 

“I often close my eyes when I’m thinking over 
things,” said Mr. Faxon, and though he smiled sheep- 
ishly at Eosie and she smiled back as if there were a 
little joke between them, she made no comment on 
his words. 

He had saved a truly remarkable bone for Dennis, 
though he spoke of it in a slighting way and wrapped 
it up muttering that he was “always glad to be rid 
of such odds and ends.” An amount of meat clung 
to the bone which was far beyond what any dog 
could reasonably expect to find. In her mind’s eye 
Eosie saw it spread out over seven slices of bread for 
supper, for there would even be enough for Augustin 
Charles to have a taste, though as a general thing 
meat was considered far too rich and heating for 
Tim’s baby. 

“ And here’s a bit of a present for the family, just 
to celebrate your first day’s work,” said the butcher, 
pointing to a good-sized square parcel in the bottom 
of the fruit basket he had set aside for Eosie. “I’ve 
just shoved it in along with the beets and potatoes, 
you see there’s just a handful of them. You may 
give me two cents for the Jot, with the bone, but if 


86 A Rose of Holly Court 

you speak of paying any more for ’em, you’re no 
friend of mine,” and Mr. Faxon drew his bushy eye- 
brows together and endeavored to look fierce and 
forbidding. 

His attempt was a failure, for Eosie put her hands 
on her hips and rocked back and forth, laughing so 
hard that the butcher was forced to join in her merri- 
ment. At last she stopped, and a solemn exchange 
was made of the basket (which he said she need not 
return) for two battered pennies, the end of poor 
Bob’s contribution toward Dennis’s daily fare. Then 
with a last laugh over her shoulder at her friend the 
butcher, Eosie started for home. 

It was nearly half-past three when she said good- 
bye to Mr. Faxon, and she expected to find Holly 
Court at the full tide of its afternoon noise and gayety. 
But, all unnoticed by her, thick black clouds had been 
rolling up from the west and spreading over the sky 
until the sun had hidden his face in despair. As 
Eosie turned the corner of Holly Court two great 
drops splashed down into the fruit basket and before 
she had passed the Cassidys’ door the rain came as if 
it were being emptied from a giant pail. 

Nobody in Holly Court minded an ordinary shower, 
but this downpour w^s enough to make even the tene- 


A Rose of Holly Court 87 

ment-house mothers put their heads out of their win- 
dows and scream commands to their children. There 
was a sound of scampering feet as the park was de- 
serted. The dogs gathered hastily under a tree and 
then suddenly dispersed, running to such homes as 
they could boast in the neighborhood, Eva Rafferty’s 
fat pug dog thanking his stars that the tenement was 
close at hand. 

Rosie could not really run with the heavy basket, 
but she trotted the last few steps and reached her own 
door breathless but not as wet as she might have been. 
The entire family were grouped in the entry, shaking 
themselves dry. 

“ Here y’are, Rosie darling, and it’s glad I am to see 
you,” said Mrs. Dolan, embracing her little daughter 
with much cordiality. “ We were just out in the park 
for an airing, and I was relating to Mrs. Rafferty the 
way Bob got hurted, when first I knew the rain 
came drop, dropping. And the twins go as if they 
had flatirons tied to their legs when there’s need of a 
hurry. Now come and sit down and we’ll hear the 
whole of what’s happened you. Whatever is in that 
great basket, I don’t know ! ” 

“ Oh, I’ve got the grand news to tell,” said Rosie, 
following her mother into the parlor and setting down 


88 A Rose of Holly Court 

the basket with a gasp of relief. “ But where’s the 
baby ? ” 

Mrs. Dolan flung up her arms, gave a cry of fright 
and fled toward the kitchen. 

“ He’s on the back steps in his box, with Dennis to 
guard him,” she cried to Rosie who was close behind 
her. “And there’s neither one of ’em has the sense 
to come in the house. Oh, wirra, wirra!” 

How Dennis could have told a tale of the excursion 
he had made up and down the alley four times while 
the family were sunning themselves in the park. 
The fact that the baby was sound asleep and that he 
stopped every time, going and coming between the 
Goldsteins’ and the car stables to see that Augustin 
Charles slept undisturbed, seemed to him to justify 
whatever he had done. “ So why make any talk 
about it,” reasoned Dennis, “as nobody would under- 
stand what I said, anyway.” 

But when the drops of rain came, Dennis was on 
guard, and much would have been forgiven him for 
the sake of the sight that met Rosie’s eyes. Dennis 
had stationed himself over the baby’s box, his fore- 
paws at the end where the little silky head of Augus- 
tin Charles was lying on the pillow, his hind-paws at 
the other end where the ten little toes of Augustin 


A Rose of Holly Court 89 

Charles were wriggling. Dennis was drenched and 
dripping but he had protected his charge, and scarcely 
a drop had touched the baby. His tail wagged when 
he saw Rosie and he gave a loud, delighted bark. 

“ Keep in out o’ the wet, mother darling,” said 
Rosie as she seized the box, baby and all. “ Oh, but 
wasn’t it the lucky day when Dennis came ! And 
whisper, Dennis dear” — she had set the box inside 
the door and lifted out Augustin Charles before she 
stooped and put her mouth close to the dog’s ear — 
“ listen now! When you see the bone Rosie’s 
brought home t’you, I’m expecting you’ll stand right 
up on your head with the joy of it ! That’s what I’m 
expecting of you.” 

Rosie sat in the haircloth rocking chair facing the 
rest of the family who gathered on the bed-lounge. 
She held the baby, to be sure, but as she remarked, 
he was “ so light after the basket, he weighed noth- 
ing at all.” She rocked and talked and the family 
listened. There were many interruptions, principally 
from Maggie who had questions to put at every point 
of the narrative. Rosie held back only one thing — 
the part of her conversation with Lulu Monks which 
referred to Rosie’s earnings — for she would not have 
her mother troubled about what could not be helped, 


go A Rose of Holly Court 

She had signed the paper and that was the end of the 
matter. 

“ What do you s’pose Lulu Monks earns ? ” asked 
Maggie, who seemed to suspect something untold at 
this point, but Rosie answered promptly and with 
frankness. 

“ She’s getting six dollars a week, but she’s older 
than Norah,” she explained, “ and she’s there in the 
evening, too, and she knows the ways. She’s been 
there six weeks.” 

Rosie was the only mathematician in the Dolan 
family. After a moment’s thought everybody agreed 
that she had made a good bargain in securing a full 
dollar a week, when a young woman older than 
Norah who worked in the evening as well as the day- 
time had only a paltry six. Mrs. Cassidy who stepped 
in when the shower was over, confirmed this verdict 
after a glance at Rosie’s pleading eyes. 

“ Why, if I’d a girl Rosie’s size she’d be doing well 
if she earned a dollar out washing where I’d earn 
seven or eight,” said Mrs. Cassidy glibly, “ and to be 
sure I’m a couple or three dollars stronger in my arms 
than that Monks girl, for she’s only a string for size. 
I’ve seen her.” 

She nodded so convincingly that Mrs. Dolan felt 


A Rose of Holly Court 91 

better pleased than ever with her little daughter’s 
bargain. 

“ Now just listen to that ! ” she cried when Rosie 
told how she discovered How Do under the table. 
“ Did anybody ever hear the like o’ that before ! 
You’ve got just your own mother’s way with the 
childern, Rosie, though I’d better be leaving it to 
some one else to say. And a Chinee baby ! Well, I 
make no doubt you’ll have him as fine as the twins 
before you’re done with him. Pat, stop kicking 
your brother, or I’ll take you right out to the sink, 
the both of you, and try what cold water will do for 
two naughty boys ! You’ll teach him manners while 
you’re looking after him, and there’ll be no extra 
work to it. And it’s I that was worrying how I'd be 
able to get to the hospital every other day in the 
afternoon to cheer your poor brother Bob ; and now I 
can start as soon as ever you get home, free as a bird.” 

When Rosie told of the butcher’s present, excite- 
ment reigned on the bed-lounge. 

“ I thought ’twas only veg’tables, and after all 
there’s a present in it ! ” Maggie hopped up and 
down at the idea, and Mrs. Dolan had much ado to 
pull her back into place on the lounge. 

“ Whisht, Maggie Dolan ! ” she said severely. 


92 


A Rose of Holly Court 

“ Whisht, now ! Eosie and I will go into the kitchen 
and empty the basket and see what the present is, 
and then if it’s anything that wouldn’t hurt the twins 
or the baby, we’ll call you out. Take the baby now 
and hold him still.” 

But at this there was such an uproar that Mrs. 
Dolan put her hands over her ears. The twins 
howled as if in mortal anguish, Augustin Charles 
wailed piteously, Maggie opened her mouth wide and 
gave out a piercing cry of wrath, and even little 
Celia began to sniffle. 

“ Then come along all of you, and don’t let me hear 
another sound out of any one o’ the lot, for I will be 
minded in my own house by my own childern,” said 
Mrs. Dolan removing her hands from her ears and 
changing her tactics like a prudent general. 

So it was an unbroken and eager group that gath- 
ered around the kitchen table to watch Eosie empty 
the basket. The beets and potatoes were highly 
praised, a great deal was said about the bone which 
Dennis eyed with a wistful gaze as it wa& set away 
until Eosie could take olf the meat. But when the 
square parcel was opened, there rose a shout of joy 
and wonder, for there before the Dolan eyes lay a 
basket of big, red, luscious strawberries ! 


93 


A Rose of Holly Court 

Mr. Faxon bad protected them with a box cover 
and an extra layer of thick brown paper, and not a 
berry was hurt. With her hand on her heart Mrs. 
Dolan brought forth the family platter and with 
bated breath all watched while Rosie counted off the 
strawberries, laid aside three for each of the twins, 
one for the baby, and then performed a sum in mental 
arithmetic. 

“ Eight berries apiece and one over for luck to my 
mother,” she announced, and Maggie shrieked with de- 
light. 

“ Lay out the saucers, Maggie Dolan,” commanded 
her mother, sinking limply into a chair, “and Celia, 
run the water to make it fine and cold. There’s a 
place in me that’s crying for food. Sugar, did I hear 
you saying, Maggie Dolan ? If any child o’ mine 
wants sugar with berries like this, she can hand 
her berries to her mother. No, I didn’t think you’d 
want sugar, when once you thought how sweet they 
are. And Rosie darling I’ll tell you the one thing. 
You’ve done well this day, and I’m a proud woman. 
And now you’ll bide at home and rest, for rather 
than have you take another step, I’ll go without 
the bit o’ sewing all summer 1 So take your ease, 
child. Here, Terence, stop leaning on your poor 


94 


A Rose of Holly Court 

mother, and run tell sister Rosie how glad we are 
she’s home again ; and Pat, you go, too. Maggie 
Dolan, bring me the baby and let Rosie have a chance 
with the twins whilst she’s eating her berries. Oh, 
Rosie, you’re the lucky girl ! ” 

Rosie handed the baby carefully over to Maggie 
and helped the twins climb up into her lap. Then she 
took a strawberry in each hand, and popped one into 
Terence’s waiting mouth at the very instant that * 
Patrick’s lips closed over the other. 

“ I’m the luckiest girl in all this city, I do believe,” 
she said with shining eyes, “and I’m the very hap- 
piest, too. I’d like it well if Norali could be here, and 
Tim and Bob, but Rorah has a fine man, and Tim 
will be getting a great place, and Bob will be coming 
home soon as he’s well. Oh, I wish every girl in all 
the world could have my luck ! ” said Rosie Dolan. 


CHAPTER IX 


SUMMER DAYS 

People who bad time to think of the weather, said 
it was an unusually hot July. Rosie never spoke of 
the heat to her family, but perhaps it accounted 
for her growing thin as the days went on. One 
morning when she had been at Mr. Patey’s for about 
ten days she turned the waists of her two gingham 
dresses inside out and sewed a seam under each 
sleeve. 

Nobody else was awake in the little brown house, 
so Rosie had no questions to answer about her sew- 
ing. She sat on one chair with her feet on the rung 
of another to make a good lap for her work. Lulu 
Monks had asked her the day before if she hadn’t lost 
ten pounds since she went to the restaurant. 

“ You look it,” said Lulu, with a touch of anxiety 
in her sharp voice. “ Don’t hurry so, Rosie. Patey 
gets more out of you than he does out of anybody 
else.” 

“ That’s a fact,” said one of the other girls. They 

had all grown fond of Rosie who was ready to do 
95 


96 A Rose of Holly Court 

a good turn for any one of them at a minute’s notice. 
The little girl laughed as she looked around at them 
from her place at the end of the table in the Patey 
kitchen where they were all eating their scanty 
dinner. 

“ I’ve never been on the scales since I was a baby,” 
said Rosie, “so I couldn’t tell you my weight, but 
anyway if it’s my clothes you’re looking at, I like 
them as loose as ever I can get them, in summer. 
And the less pounds I have on me, the lighter I’ll be 
on my feet.” 

“But after all that looks better on me now than it 
did,” said Rosie to herself, when she had dressed hur- 
riedly at last in one of the seamed waists and a skirt 
that did not match it ; but as the skirt was entirely 
covered with a white apron while she was on duty at 
the restaurant that made no difference. Sam Mawley 
had never noticed it for he was always half-asleep 
when Eosie saw him. For her afternoon work she 
had made over the old skirt that she wore on that 
first day. 

“For it’s a lucky skirt, mother, and that’s the 
truth,” she had said when with Mrs. Dolan’s aid she 
had cut it off at the bottom to make it still shorter 
and “ out of the wa} T of her feet.” “ I’ll alwaj T s keep 


A Rose of Holly Court 97 

a piece o’ this skirt, to remember the morning I 
started out so heavy-hearted and came back so gay.” 

Rosie’s days were as full as days well could be. If 
she felt any disappointment when she had to refuse 
Miss Dorothy’s invitations to picnics and “ boat-rides,” 
nobody knew it. When her work was all done, and 
the younger children were in bed, Rosie would sit on 
the steps with her mother and Dennis, and hear 
about the excursions from Maggie and the Sullivans 
who got in the habit of spending part of every even- 
ing there. 

“ It’s just almost like a party, isn’t it, Miss Dor- 
othy ?” Rosie had said only the night before she got 
up so early to sew her seams. “ Why, often we have 
the visitors packed on the steps so close you couldn’t 
put your hand down! And each one comes bringing 
her story to tell, and they all want to hear what I’ve 
been doing, and the news at the rest’rant. I feel my- 
self very grand these days.” 

One thing had been neglected, and that was the 
letter to Norah. It had been put off from day to day 
because when night came Rosie was tired and the 
letter would need a good deal of thought. Bob was 
getting on finely, and would be out of the hospital in 
two weeks, though not able to work for some time 


98 A Rose of Holly Court 

longer, — so there would be only good news to tell 
about him. But Norah had always loved and shielded 
Rosie — the little girl was afraid Norah might worry — 
still the letter must be written. When she was 
dressed that morning there was still time to spare be- 
fore breakfast, and Rosie decided to use it in writing 
to Norah. 

“ It’s no easier for putting it off,” she said, with a 
little sigh as she smoothed out a sheet of paper which 
had been ready for some days in the table drawer. 
She wrote with a stub of a soft lead-pencil and then 
blew hard on each of the pages, so the writing should 
not blur. She had learned that from Li Hop who 
had rooted objections to pen and ink. She wrote 
fast, with only an occasional pause, for she had made 
up her mind just what to say about most things. 

“ Dear Norah,” she wrote, “ it’s a long time since we 
got your letter, but the time passes very quick and 
I’ve been busy. You’ll be saying ‘ she has only the 
work she always did, and she might be writing her 
sister that’s afar away,’ but Norah, ’tisn’t only house- 
work and play. I had the grand chance to make 
some money, and mother wouldn’t deny me. There’s 
a boy at the grocery store that is a bit lazy and likes 
his rest and sleep in the morning, so lie’s sold out 


99 


A Rose of Holly Court 

part of liis chance to sweep, to me. You know I’m 
always glad with a broom in my hands, don’t you, 
Norah ? Then Mr. Patey in the restaurant, he 
wanted an extra girl to wait on the table at noon, and 
he took me for awhile, so there’s more money. You’ll 
be thinking that’s grand, but listen till I tell you the 
rest. Mr. Lung at the laundry has lost his wife, and 
his little baby is just the age o’ Tim’s. And he had 
him in the laundry, not knowing whatever else to do 
with the poor little thing. And one day I went in 
there and the baby gripped me fast and loved me, 
and I talked to him and he liked it. So now I take 
care of that baby awhile every afternoon, and that’s 
more money yet. 

“Now what do you think of all that for news? 
Over two dollars and a half every week I’m earning! 
It comes in handy, too, for Bob had an accident with 
the engine, and he’s not able to work just now, though 
he’s getting on well, and he’ll be ready to go back be- 
fore we know it. And Tim — think o’ Tim, Norah ! 
He’s had the great chance, and he’s gone away out 
West to mother’s cousin, and soon he’ll be sending us 
back part of his wages, and then some day he says 
we’ll all go out there and live with him ! You’ll think 
there’s been nothing but changes since you went away. 


LofC. 


100 


A Rose of Holly Court 

And when is it you’re coming home to see us all, you 
and Mr. Patrick Knowles? Every night I kiss the 
place on the pillow where your face used to be. With 
love and best wishes from your sister, 

“ Kosie.” 

“ There ! ” said Kosie, when the last word was 
written, and she straightened her little spine. “ I 
guess Norah’ll have no worry when she reads that. 
But my, my ! however can people like to write letters, 
I wonder ! ” 

Dennis had come quietly into the kitchen while 
Kosie was writing and now he stood beside her sniffing 
the air from the open window and occasionally snap- 
ping at a troublesome fly. 

“You’re looking thin yourself,” said Kosie, as she 
patted his head and smoothed his ears, “ and I’m sorry, 
Dennis. You know why it is I can’t leave but the 
little speck o’ meat on your bone, don’t you? Two 
dollars and eighty cents is a good deal of money, but 
whisper ! the rent has got to be paid when it comes 
due, and there’s only nine dollars put away in my 
mother’s box, Dennis — and the rent’s thirteen, coming 
due in three weeks. The man would wait a week, 
maybe, but that’s only four weeks, don’t you see, to 
save four dollars more. 


101 


A Rose of Holly Court 

“ I don’t know whether anybody’s thinking about 
it, except me,” said the little girl wistfully, “ but I 
keep saying to myself, ‘four dollars must be saved ! 
four dollars must be saved!’ It sings in my head, 
Dennis. So there’s only a dollar and eighty cents 
a week to buy for us all, for my mother hasn’t the 
strength to sew since she has charge o’ the children 
so much with me away and all, poor dear ! If you’ll 
just have a bit o’ patience till Bob is working again, 
you’ll have your full meals the same as before, 
Dennis.” 

The dog lapped her face and smiled at her as 
broadly as possible. He made up his mind that his 
little mistress should not be worried about him. But 
Dennis was ndt only hungry, he longed for the coun- 
try air in which he had been born and brought up. 
He sometimes thought soberly of the green grass and 
the woods near Iiathmore Kennels. The grass in the 
Holly Court park was brown and looked discouraged 
by the middle of July. While he stood rubbing his 
head against Rosie’s face the door opened and in came 
Maggie with the twins. 

There was not a large breakfast that morning, but 
Rosie divided it so that nobody except Maggie com- 
plained. 


102 


A Rose of Holly Court 

“ A piece of bread and a piece of banana and a 
little speck of milk leaves me hungry,” she grumbled. 
“ Can’t I have some more milk, Eosie ? ” 

“ Now Maggie dear, don’t tease me,” begged Eosie. 
“ I’ve got to save the rest of the milk for mother’s 
tea. But here, take this piece o’ bread. I’m not a 
bit hungry for it. And this noon you’ll have soup, 
Maggie. Think o’ that now ! fine, hot soup, like what 
they have at the rest’rant. I’ll get it all ready before 
I go to work the second time.” 

“ All right,” said Maggie devouring the offered 
slice of bread. She was such a hungry little girl and 
spoke of it so freely that Eosie seldom had her full 
share of breakfast, but that never troubled her. 

“ I can’t sweep so well with a hearty breakfast in 
me,” Eosie explained to Celia who was apt to look 
grieved when Maggie took her sister’s gifts. “The 
broom seems heavier to me.” And once when Celia 
saved part of her banana and shyly pressed it on her 
before she started for the restaurant, Eosie had re- 
proached her gently. 

“I couldn’t step so spry with a great piece o’ 
banana in my throat, Celia darling,” she said kissing 
the little eager face, “ but you were the sweet child to 
think of saving it for me.” 


A Rose of Holly Court 103 

When Rosie came back from the sweeping that 
morning she had a great many things to do, and she 
flew from one room to another setting everything to 
rights. She scrubbed two floors as a final entertain- 
ment before making the soup. 

Two onions went into the soup and three excellent 
potatoes, salt, pepper, the scrapings from three bones 
and a liberal supply of water. There was also a 
small piece of butter, about the size of a lozenge. 

“ I wonder if you’ll say it’s too rich for the twins. 
I’m hoping you won’t,” said Rosie anxiously when the 
soup was almost at the boiling point. Mrs. Dolan 
took the spoon with which Rosie had been stirring, 
and cautiously sipped a taste of this wonderful liquid. 
Then she raised her eyes to the ceiling. 

“ I’ll take out a little of it and set it away in a bowl 
for to-morrow when I’ll need a bit of extra stren’th 
starting for the hospital to see Bob,” she said while a 
smile of triumph replaced the anxiety on Rosie’s face. 
“ And then you hurry away to the rest’rant, child. 
I’ll let it simmer a bit and add maybe a pint more 
water to it, and feed it out to the childern the minute 
the gongs ring for twelve. And that’s all they’ll need 
till morning, most likely, it has such a taste to it ! ” 

“ I believe it’s going to rain this afternoon,” said 


104 A Rose of Holly Court 

Rosie a few minutes later, coming back from the door 
as she was starting off to her work, “ and perhaps I’ll 
have to stay in the laundry with How Do. Could 
you get on without me, mother darling, if I stayed 
away till five ? ” 

“Take the umbrella, Rosie, and bring the baby 
right here, safe and dry,” commanded Mrs. Dolan. 
“ You’d be missing your play with the twins and 
Tim’s baby if you stayed away, and that would be a 
pity when there’s no need.” 

“ That’s the very thing I’ll do,” said Rosie gladly. 

She went to the entry closet and brought out the 
Dolan umbrella, which was large, green, and had two 
floating ribs. She bound it around with its strap 
and set forth in the best of spirits. 

“It’s few mothers would be so quick to plan as 
mine,” said Rosie proudly to herself as she walked 
out of Holly Court with the old umbrella, nodding 
and smiling whenever she saw a friendly face. “And 
this afternoon will be the great time for How Do 
Lung, for I’ll get out the dolly from the closet for a 
treat — that’s the very thing I’ll do.” 


CHAPTER X 


AN UNWELCOME VISITOR 

It rained that afternoon, first in soft, scattered 
drops, then in small fast falling spatters, and last of 
all in a fine, steady, determined pour. Rosie was the 
only waitress who had taken an umbrella, and she had 
worn no hat, while the older girls had straw sailor 
hats with gay ribbons that the rain would spoil. 

“ You’re all living near,” said Rosie, when she dis- 
covered the state of affairs, “ and I’ll take you home 
one at a time.” 

She pinned up their skirts with motherly care and 
escorted them to their homes, making much sport over 
the widening puddles. When they were all housed 
she went to the laundry for little How Do. The 
Chinese baby never liked rain and from the time it 
began he had sat under the table, beating the floor 
with his little fists and making a most uncomfortable 
noise. At intervals he had cried vigorously, and in 
the midst of his sobs he had repeated a name which 
his father and Li Hop had known was intended for 
Rosie. When the little girl appeare'd, a few minutes 
105 


io6 A Rose of Holly Court 

later than usual, Wun Lung had begun to look dis- 
turbed and he promptly handed over How Do, 
wrapped in a great piece of oilcloth to Rosie’s 
keeping. 

“ You let How Do stay till six o’clock, I come for 
him ? ” he asked anxiously, for there was a great deal 
of work to be done that afternoon. 

“ Of course I will,” said Rosie, hugging How Do 
tight in her left arm and taking a firmer grasp on the 
umbrella handle, for the wind was rising. “ It’s no 
matter if you don’t come till half-past six, Mr. Lung. 
If How Do gets sleepy I’ll lay him to rest on my bed 
and shut the door on him. Good-bye.” 

“ Good-bye,” said Wun Lung thankfully, as Rosie 
started gayly off, holding the old umbrella well down 
over the baby, with the loose ribs over her right 
shoulder so that all the drip might come on that side. 

Mrs. Dolan was at her best when she was playing 
the part of hostess and she laughed and talked with 
the baby while Rosie was taking off her wet clothes, 
until How Do thought her a most charming person. 
She also entered heartily into Rosie’s plans for enter- 
taining the children, for indeed Mrs. Dolan was only 
a grown-up child herself. She gathered Maggie, 
Celia and the twins at the bed-lounge and held How 



SHE STARTED GAYLY OFF 




A Rose of Holly Court 107 

Do and Augustin Charles until Rosie, after live min- 
utes in the entry closet, came back into the room 
wrapped in an old red cape, a sunbonnet on her head 
and holding something in her arms. 

“ Good-day to you all,” said Rosie in a high, squeak- 
ing voice that showed she was a stranger and not 
herself at all. “ I’ve brought a sweet little girl a 
long, long way from Dublin, walking, walking every 
step, and we’d like to rest if anybody would invite us.” 

“ Now sit down in the rocking-chair and take your 
ease,” said Mrs. Dolan in a comfortable, soothing tone. 
“ Sure you’ve traveled far and have the need to rest.” 

Maggie and Celia laughed delightedly, the twins 
giggled, and even Augustin Charles, who had seen 
this play once before to his remembrance, gave a 
gurgle of satisfaction. How Do looked solemn. 

Rosie sat stiffly down in the rocking-chair, her cape 
still tightly wrapped around her, concealing her 
burden. 

“ Do you hear my poor old bones creak, creaking ? ” 
she asked of the company. “ If you do, it’s no fault 
of mine, but only my great age. I may be ninety 
years old and over. Now who would be wanting to 
see the sweet little girl I’ve brought ? ” 

“ I would ! ” cried Maggie and Celia joyously, and 


ioB A Rose of' Holly Court 

“ I ! I ! I ! I ! ” roared Patrick and Terence at the top 
of their lungs. 

“ Then see her you shall ! ” cried Rosie, suddenly 
turning into herself again with her own sweet voice. 
She flung away the sun bonnet, threw off the old red 
cape, and held out her treasure. It was a big doll, 
but such a doll as would hardly ever be seen ! 

She had a flat face with boot-button eyes, a red 
worsted mouth which being glued on one-sided gave a 
merry expression to her lips. Her nose was a gener- 
ous feature, made of black paint and somewhat faded. 
Her hair was long and crinkly and suggested raveled 
yarn, and its color was a yellowish pink — “ sandy- 
haired ” Rosie always called this old friend of the 
family. 

The doll was dressed in white, with long sleeves 
and a tight, ruffled neck. Her figure was curiously 
shaped, but no person who was permitted to see her 
ever wondered long at that, for she was made of — a 
stick of wood ! Her arms were as supple as any one 
could wish, and there was reason enough for that ; 
they were made of pieces of rubber tubing which had 
been presented to Rosie by Mrs. Halloran who had 
once owned a little gas stove. One arm was a trifle 
longer than the other, and Rosie pointed out this 


H Rose of Holly Court 109 

fact to How Do when she took him on her lap to 
make him acquainted with the doll. 

“ Her name is Celestine and if she didn’t weigh so 
heavy you should hold her,” said Rosie guiding How 
Do’s hand over the doll’s face and figure. “ One arm 
is a bit longer than the other because she needs it 
longer to stretch around the neck of the one that’s 
holding her; if ’twas the same length as the other 
’t would be the hard stretch for her, don’t you see ? 
How what’ll we play with her?” 

“Make her spell!” cried Maggie who was never at 
a loss for ideas. “ Make her spell and go to the foot 
of the class, Rosie ! ” 

“ Sure, she’ll never get below me, Maggie,” laughed 
Mrs. Dolan, “for I can’t spell even my own name 
without a mistake. A’s, and o’s and e’s, the}^ are all 
one to me and I’d as soon choose one as another when 
you ask me.” 

There was great fun over the spelling match which 
was easily won by Maggie, who held the spelling- 
book and gave out the words. When it came her turn 
she chose a word and then shut her eyes while she 
spelled it, in this way satisfying her notions of fair 
play. 

Celestine and the babies were the only silent mem- 


no 


A Rose of Holly Court 

bers of the company and as Eosie danced How Do up 
and down on her knee with each word, he enjoyed 
the spelling-match as much as any one. Augustin 
Charles in his grandmother’s arms suddenly stretched 
out his little hands to Eosie and made plain his wish 
to be taken into her lap. 

“ It’s the first time that ever I held three as easy as 
this,” said Eosie as she squeezed a place for Tim’s 
baby. “ Oh mother darling, if ever we’d get rich 
wouldn’t we have a picture taken by the photograph 
man — and send it to Norah ! You on the lounge, 
with Celia on one side and Maggie on the other, and 
me in this chair with the twins in front of me and the 
two babies, one on each of my arms, held high so their 
faces would show out, and Celestine in the middle ! 
I believe Mr. Lung would like a picture of How Do. 
Some time when we’re not needing the money for any- 
thing else, couldn’t we have the picture ? ” 

“ That day’ll never come now, Eosie, I’m fearing,” 
said Mrs. Dolan with a heavy sigh. “And anyway 
I’d be better out of it, for I’ve lost all the looks that 
ever I had.” 

But at that Eosie’s warm little heart rebelled, and 
the quick tears came to her eyes. 

“ Don’t be saying that, mother,” she pleaded. “ It’s 


A Rose of Holly Court \ 1 1 

been hard for you with so many children dragging on 
you, but I’m growing up fast now — and you’re the 
prettiest mother in Holly Court ! ” 

A gratified smile struggled through the gloom of 
Mrs. Dolan’s face. 

“We’ll say no more of my troubles, Rosie darling,” 
she said, with dignity. “ I forgot myself to speak so, 
but the rain brings my past before me.” 

“ Let’s play hide ! ” cried Maggie, “ and make 
Celestine hunt for us ! ” 

Rosie smiled through her tears and was ready for 
the play in a minute. She handed Augustin Charles 
to Maggie and How Do to her mother, turned Celes- 
tine face downward on her lap and put her hands over 
her eyes. There was a great scampering, much laugh- 
ter and then sudden quiet only broken by gasping 
breaths which seemed to come from every direction. 

Celestine’s face was turned and she sat bolt up- 
right in Rosie’s lap, and began to guess where the 
hiders were, Rosie playing spokesman. 

“ I think Celia Dolan is behind the door,” squeaked 
Celestine, and sure enough she was. It was not hard 
to find Patrick or Terence, for though they were well 
behind the rocking-chair, between its rockers, Patrick 
unhappily trod on one of Terence’s hands in his ex- 


112 


A Rose of Holly Court 

citement, and Terence promptly set up a scream that 
ended his chance for escaping Celestine’s notice, or the 
sharp glance of her boot-button eyes. 

When the twins had been comforted and Maggie 
and Augustin Charles had been discovered under the 
bed-lounge, everybody waited for Celestine to find 
Mrs. Dolan and How Do. The children crowded 
around Rosie and laughed louder and louder at Celes- 
tine’s mistakes. 

“ Is that the Chinese baby up there behind the cur- 
tain?” squeaked Celestine. “No, I see it’s not. 
Well then, is he under the carpet there in the far cor- 
ner — the rug, I mean — where it’s loose from the floor ? 
No ? well, wherever is the Chinese baby gone and 
Mrs. Dolan with him?” 

The shrieks of delight that rose when at last Celes- 
tine, happening to turn her head at just the right 
angle, saw the Chinese baby in Mrs. Dolan’s arms, in 
the doorway ! Everybody said the poor old doll was 
ver}^ slow and stupid, but they loved her just the 
same. 

“Now make her tell a story,” commanded Maggie, 
and Celestine told a short story of a wooden doll who 
had been dressed in fine white clothes and a coral 
necklace. “ But for all that she was drowned at sea 


A Rose of Holly Court 113 

and that was the end of her and all her grand dress,” 
said Celestine at the close of her story, “ so I’d rather 
be myself.” 

“ Now make her sing, please, Rosie,” begged little 
Celia and then the children all sat down on the bed- 
lounge and listened while Celestine sang. 

She had a sweet, high voice and the song she chose 
was one which was always a great favorite with 
Rosie’s grandmother who had been born in Scotland. 
She died when Rosie was four years old, so that not 
even Maggie really remembered her. 

“ O, can ye sew cushions? 

Can ye sew sheets ? 

Can ye sing, Ba-loo-loo, 

When the bairn greets ? 

u And hee and ba, birdie, 

And hee and ba, lamb, 

And hee and ba, birdie, 

My bonnie lamb.’’ 

Rosie’s grandmother had sung more verses, but 
these were ail Celestine knew, for she sang them over 
and over. And as she sang her voice grew softer, and 
she made the tune slower, slower, until at last it 
stopped. Then Celestine was put into Celia’s arms 
and Rosie made two trips to her bedroom. First she 
carried Tim’s baby who was sound asleep, and laid 


114 -A Rose of Holly Court 

him on the pillow; then she stooped over her mother 
and lifted little How Do who half opened his eyes, 
but seeing nothing to alarm him, shut them again and 
was safe in Dreamland before his face touched the 
pillow. Then Eosie shut the bedroom door and 
stepped softly back to the family. 

“ He cried and cried with the rain this morning,” 
she said to her mother. “ And he’s needing all the 
sleep he can get. Let’s go out into the kitchen and 
shut the door, so we’ll be free to have our fun without 
waking the babies. Dennis is out there, and we’ll 
show him Celestine and see what he’ll say.” 

Dennis sniffed at Celestine as if he did not admire 
her greatly, and considered her anything but a pleas- 
ant addition to the family circle. AY hen she was held 
on his back for a ride around the room he looked 
hurt, and protested at every step with a short bark, 
although he was always read} T and willing to carry 
the baby and did not even object to the twins, one at 
a time. 

Just as he had made his third reluctant trip around 
the room, and Eosie had said it was “ too bad and he 
needn’t go one single time more,” there came a knock 
at the back door, and before any one could reach it 
the door was pushed open and a man stepped into the 


A Rose of Holly Court 115 

outer room, and looked through into the kitchen. He 
had a disagreeable face and a sly expression. Mrs. 
Dolan gave a little cry of fright, but Rosie went close 
up to him. 

“What do you want?” she asked sharply. “We 
don’t know you.” 

“ Any old clothes to sell ? ” said the man, but his 
eyes had wandered to Dennis who stood close beside 
his little mistress. 

“ You know well you’d get no old clothes in Holly 
Court,” and Rosie looked up at him with indignation 
in her face and voice. “ And now you’d better be go- 
ing right back where you came from. We aren’t ex- 
pecting callers at this door anyway.” 

“ Aren’t you ? ” said the man, still looking at Dennis. 
“ That’s a pretty good dog you’ve got. Want to sell 
him for five dollars, or was he a present, so you don’t 
want to part from him ? ” 

Rosie laid her hand lovingly on the silky red-brown 
coat, and looked up at the man with her clear, brave 
eyes. Her mother was twitching at her skirt, but 
Rosie knew what to say. 

“ I’m not wanting to sell Dennis as long as I can 
afford to keep him,” she did not move her eyes from 
the ugly face as she spoke. “ But when I have to sell 


n6 A Rose of Holly Court 

him — if I do — ’twouldn’t be to you. Now will you 

go?” 

The man turned with a low laugh. 

“ O, yes, I’ll go,” he said, “ but sometimes people 
have to give up dogs without getting any money for 
them. You say his name’s Dennis. I suppose you’ve 
got a license for him somewhere. He doesn’t seem to 
be wearing his collar.” 

Then the man slammed the door and they heard 
him slam the gate of the yard. There was silence in 
the kitchen for a moment, and then Mrs. Dolan spoke 
in a shrill whisper. 

“ What does he mean by talking of a license?” she 
asked, looking at Rosie for the answer. “ Haven’t we 
trouble enough without more, over a dog, I’d like to 
know ? ” 

Rosie stood perfectly still with her hand on Dennis’s 
back. Then after a moment, she sat down on the 
floor and drew the dog’s head into her lap. 

“Well, Rosie,” said her mother impatiently, 
“ where’s your tongue gone, I’d like to know.” 

The little girl rose slowly to her feet, keeping one 
hand half-hidden in the dog’s long hair. 

“I’m afraid something’s going to part us two,” she 
said sorrowfully. “But I’ll have no harm come to 


A Rose of Holly Court 117 

Dennis, if I can help it. After Mr. Lung has taken 
How Do away, I’ll run over to see Miss Dorothy, and 
ask her something, mother. Maggie dear, if you’ll 
give me Celestine and go into the parlor with Celia 
and the twins for a minute I’ll have a new surprise 
ready when you come back.” 

The children went and while Rosie dressed Celes- 
tine in an old green veil, she had time to tell her plan 
to her mother without the four pairs of sharp ears to 
listen. 


CHAPTER XI 


A LONG NIGHT 

It was after six o’clock when Wun Lung called for 
his baby, with many thanks spoken in the broken 
English that made Maggie laugh. Mrs. Dolan would 
not let Rosie start for the Settlement until she had 
eaten “a bite of something along with the rest.” 
It was hard work for the little girl to swallow, but 
she dutifully ate her slice of bread soaked in molasses, 
and then was free to go. 

It was raining so hard that Rosie put on the family 
rubbers, for her shoes were far from water proof. 
The rubbers had originally belonged to Xorah. 
Rosie could keep them on her feet by stepping very 
slowly, and with the greatest care, and if Maggie 
ever needed them they could be tied in place with 
string. 

They flapped at every step, so to Rosie it seemed 
as if she would never reach the Settlement. Some 
girls and boys were spending the evening there, and 
having a gay time with Miss Dorothy when Rosie 
rang the bell. She opened the door and stood wait- 
118 


A Rose of Holly Court 119 

ing in the entry while her umbrella was left on the 
steps to drip without danger to floors or furniture. 

“ Why, Rosie, how glad I am to see you, this rainy 
night ! ” said Miss Dorothy when she stepped out to 
meet the little waiting figure. “ Have you come to 
play games with us, dear ? Or is it only an errand ? 
What is it, Rosie ? ” 

Perhaps it was because she was tired with battling 
against the wind and rain, though Rosie seldom 
minded a storm, but whatever the reason may have 
been, two great tears rolled down her face, and two 
more rolled after them and then there were so many 
all at once that nobody could have counted them. 

“You poor little girl, what is the matter ?” asked 
Miss Dorothy as she put her arm about Rosie and 
drew her up-stairs to a quiet room. “ Are you in 
trouble, dear, about your work, or is somebody ill ? 
Don’t try to talk for a minute.” 

“There, I guess I’m done,” said Rosie when she 
had at last stopped the fast coming tears with her 
handkerchief — a little square of cotton cloth hemmed 
by her own fingers. “ I’m just foolish, Miss Dorothy, 
and the least thing makes me cry to-day. I’m getting 
on well with my work and all, but the trouble’s about 
Dennis — and I’ve come to ask you what I’d better do.” 


120 


A Rose of Holly Court 

Then she told the story of the man who had come 
that afternoon, and frightened them all. Miss Dor- 
othy listened without a word of interruption. 

“ And my mother says maybe the man will try to 
steal Dennis, or else he’ll send a policeman to take 
him away because I’ve no license for him,” said Rosie 
at the end of her story, “ and there’s never a police- 
man crossed our threshold yet, and my mother would 
’most die of the fright. She’s worrying now and says 
we’re too poor to keep a dog anyway and — and maybe 
I ought to sell him.” The tears welled up again, but 
Rosie did not let them fall. “ I’ve eaten the less for 
him,” she said so low that Miss Dorothy could scarcely 
hear her, “and I’ve told him how he’d be having bet- 
ter meals as soon as ever Bob is able to work again. 
Do you — do you think I ought to let him go ? He 
might be with somebody that wouldn’t love him as 
much as I do, even if he went to a grand place to 
live.” 

“ Of course you mustn’t sell him,” said Miss Dor- 
othy so quickly that Rosie was surprised. “But ” 

then Miss Dorothy sat thinking, with her soft 
cheek close against the little tear-stained face for 
so long that Rosie wondered what the “ but ” could 
mean, 


121 


A Rose of Holly Court 

“ Rosie,” said Miss Dorothy at last, “ it seemed to 
me the last time I saw Dennis that he looked as 
if a little country air would do him good. Would 
you let me tell a cousin of mine about him, and see if 
he would invite Dennis to make him a visit for 
awhile, until the cool weather comes, and then he 
should surely be yours again, with a license ? My 
cousin is fond of dogs and he has a big place in the 
country where Dennis could run in the green fields, 
and wade in the brook and do all the things a dog 
loves to do in the summer.” 

Rosie had been listening with her eyes fastened on 
Miss Dorothy’s face, her hands rolling the little wet 
handkerchief into a tight ball. When Miss Dorothy 
stopped speaking and waited for her answer, the child 
looked at her with a world of love and gratefulness 
shining behind the tears that would not quite stop 
coming. 

“ I don’t know whatever makes you so good to 
me,” she said simply. “ I never heard such a beauti- 
ful plan, Miss Dorothy, and I’ll be the gladdest girl 
that’s in this city to have Dennis get the chance to 
go. When would it be ? And then I’ll be going 
home to tell them all the good news.” 

She never doubted for a moment Miss Dorothy’s 


122 


A Rose of Holly Court 

ability to carry through her plan, and indeed she had 
no need to question it. 

“Let me see — I will write him to-morrow morning 
— no, to-night,” said Miss Dorothy, “ and I ought to 
hear from him by day after to-morrow — and perhaps 
I could take Dennis out the next day.” 

“ I’ll have him all ready to go,” said Rosie bravely, 
“and although I’ll be missing him every day, it’s not 
so sad when you know a person is better off. I sup- 
pose it’s funny for me to be calling Dennis a person,” 
said the little girl, “ but I’ve made a friend of him 
since the first day when he came to me on the steps. 
And I’ll be counting the time after he goes till I see 
him again.” 

When Miss Dorothy was parting from her little 
guest at the door, Rosie had a final eager word to say 
before she went out into the rain where the old um- 
brella stood waiting for her. 

“I have my evenings when the children have gone 
to bed, and I just sit lazy on the steps and listen to the 
talk,” said Rosie. “ Now if you’d have any bit o’ 
scrubbing I could do then, to make a little thanks for 
your kindness to Dennis, I’d do it and glad. Wouldn’t 
you like me to rub up the faucets or clean the gas- 
shades or anything ? ” she pleaded as Miss Dorothy 


H Rose of Holly Court 123 

shook her head. “ I’ve got the long arms on me and 
if I have a strong chair I can reach away up high and 
lift the shades off. The girl that works for you, she 
has the short arms, Miss Dorothy ; it must be a great 
stretch for her.” 

Miss Dorothy took the little honest, eager face be- 
tween her hands and kissed it warmly. 

“ Run straight home to your bed, Rosie,” she said 
with a rather tremulous laugh. “ I believe you’d take 
the work of the world on those little shoulders of 
yours, if you could.” 

“ Why it’s only a poor bit of work I can do ! ” cried 
Rosie, gayly ; “ the world would have a hard time with 
me to look after it, Miss Dorothy ! Good-night and 
thank you ever and ever and ever so much ! ” 

Her spirits were at their highest as she stepped 
along beneath the old umbrella. The wind swayed it 
here and there and dashed the rain from its unpro- 
tected ribs, but Rosie cared not one whit for that. She 
was so happy that only the force of habit kept her feet 
on the ground and the loose and flapping rubbers on 
her feet, for Rosie would have liked to dance for joy 
on her way to the little house in Holly Court. 

Mrs. Dolan was glad to hear Rosie’s news, but the 
troubled look did not leave her face, in spite of it. 


124 A Rose of Holly Court 

“ That man has been here to-night, asking for the 
dog again,” she said, grasping Rosie's wrist and speak- 
ing in a frightened whisper. “ You hadn’t been gone 
ten minutes when he came knocking at the front door, 
and pushing his way in. I mistrust he’ll try to steal 
Dennis in the night, Rosie. I had the hard work to 
make him go, and ’twas only Mr. Halloran coming in 
with a picture paper for the twins that hurried him 
off. I’m feared of him, Rosie ! ” and little Mrs. Dolan 
shivered. 

“Row don’t you have a bit o’ fear,” said Rosie 
bravely. “ It’s a pity the key to the front door is lost, 
but we’ll pile things against it, and I’ll keep a watch. 
It happens just lucky I’m not sleepy anyway, and the 
nights are as short as ever they can be, this time of 
year, mother darling. Could you help me drag a few 
pieces o’ furniture, do you think ? ” 

The twins and Tim’s baby were sound asleep in 
Rosie’s bedroom. Celia was nodding on the bed lounge 
and even Maggie was heavy-eyed and only half-awake, 
for the night was close, and not a window in the 
Dolans’ house was open, for fear of the stranger and 
the beating rain. Maggie dragged one chair into the 
entry and then dropped off to sleep while making up 
her mind what to take next. Mrs. Dolan was soon 


A Rose of Holly Court 125 

weary, but Rosie lifted and piled with silent, tireless 
energy until she had a barricade that fully satisfied 
her wishes. Then she begged her mother to go to 
bed, and seated herself on the lowest step of the flight 
that led up-stairs. Close beside her lay Dennis who 
had watched the building of the barricade with keen 
interest. 

The entry was dark, and in spite of herself Rosie 
began at last to feel sleepy. She heard a distant 
clock strike the hours, and when it had marked the 
hour of midnight she took a fresh grasp of her 
courage. 

“ It’ll soon be daylight, and then I can get my bit 
of sleep,” she said hopefully, but the hours dragged 
and lagged along, till she dug her little finger-nails into 
the palms of her hands and pinched herself to keep 
awake. It was such hard work that at times the bar- 
ricade seemed to dance and waver before her tired, 
drowsy eyes. 

Just before the clock struck two, she started up, 
wide awake and alert. She had heard no footstep, but 
surely there was some one outside the door ! Peering 
through the darkness, though she could not really see, 
she knew the handle with its piece of broken knob had 
moved — then the door opened a crack and the pile of 


126 A Rose of Holly Court 

chairs, tables and kitchen dishes surmounted by two 
sticks of wood swayed a little inward. 

Rosie stood up, and Dennis with a low growl, rose 
to stand beside her. 

“ If you come another single step,” said Rosie in a 
soft but clear voice, “ I’ll give such a screech it’ll wake 
everybody in Holly Court, and when you get to the 
corner of Main Street there will be the policeman 
waiting for you.” 

The door knob snapped into its old position and 
there was a sound of stealthy footsteps. The door was 
still open a crack. 

‘‘We’ll let it stay open that little bit,” whispered 
Rosie to Dennis as they both sat down after a min- 
ute’s listening. “ We’ll have more air and nobody 
will trouble you or me again to-night.” 

But though there came no more alarm, it was not 
until a faint streak of light showed through the crack 
that Rosie put her tired head down on the red-brown 
back and shut her sleepy eyes. 


CHAPTER XII 


CALLERS FOR ROSIE 

When Rosie woke it was broad daylight, and she 
heard sounds in the kitchen. She found the family 
ready for their bread and banana, and Mrs. Dolan’s 
pot of tea on the stove. 

“ Oh, mother, I’ve slept too long ! ” cried Rosie. 
“ Here it is after six o’clock ! ” 

“ You were having a line sleep and there was no 
need to disturb you,” said Mrs. Dolan, gavly. 
“ Maggie and Celia and I brought in the chairs we 
had to use, and the rest may stay there another night. 
The back door will do us till to-morrow. My courage 
is with me in the daylight, but when the dark comes 
again I’ll not be so bold. Now you must eat your 
breakfast and run to your work, Rosie.” 

It did not rain that day, but the air was close and 
Rosie felt dull and tired. At the restaurant she 
dropped a saucer — her first mishap since she had been 
in Mr. Patey’s employ. 

“ That cost five cents, that saucer,” Mr. Patey said, 
following Rosie into the kitchen. “ But you need 
127 


128 A Rose of Holly Court 

not give me the money now, little Dolan. I’ll take 
it from the dollar.” 

“ I’d rather pay for it now, please,” said Eosie 
quickly, and she drew from her pocket the five cent 
piece Sam Mawley had given her that morning. Sam 
always paid her the moment the sweeping was done, 
for he had a feeling that money could never come 
amiss to such a steady little worker, and he liked 
Eosie. 

Mr. Patey took the five cent piece without a word, 
but Lulu Monks who was in the kitchen emptying a 
tray of its dishes, spoke up sharply. 

“ Why don’t you give her back her two cents, Mr. 
Patey ? ” she asked. * “ That’s all you ever charge us 
— three cents. I broke a saucer just like that last 
week.” 

She watched him, as with unwilling fingers he 
handed two pennies to Eosie -who smiled gratefully 
at her, and scarcely heard Mr. Patey’s grumbling 
words. 

“ Say, Eosie, why don’t you take a day off to-mor- 
row, and go to the big Settlement picnic out in the 
park?” Lulu Monks asked just before they parted 
that afternoon. “ Couldn’t you ? ” 

Eosie opened her eyes wide at this suggestion. 


A Rose of Holly Court 129 

“Ob, I never could in the world, Lulu,” she said 
with a little gasp. “ I have to earn every cent that I 
can, and I’m needed at home every minute I can 
spare from my work. There’s lots to do when you 
have a house and a family. And then listen till I tell 
you about the man that’s trying to get my dog away.” 

Lulu listened gravely. She had seen Dennis one 
day when he had played truant and appeared, joy- 
ously wagging his tail, at the restaurant door. 

“ I’ve seen that man hanging around for three or 
four days,” she said when Rosie described their un- 
welcome visitor, “ but I didn’t know what he was 
after, or whether he was looking for a job. But 
Rosie, your dog isn’t like the rest of ’em in Holly 
Court. I know he must have run away from some- 
body, and maybe there’s been a reward offered. Do 
you ever see the newspapers ? ” 

“ No,” said Rosie, her little face full of trouble ; 
“once in a great while my brother Tim would bring 
one home, but that’s all. Nobody in Ilolly Court 
has the wish to read the papers except it’s Mr. Hal- 
loran. But what would they offer a reward for, if 
they knew I had the dog ? Wouldn’t I give him 
right back to the ones that belonged to him, and 
glad, though I’d be sad without him ? ” 


130 A Rose of Holly Court 

“ Some people wouldn’t,” said Lulu, but Rosie could , 
not bring herself to believe her. The people in 
Rosie’s world were poor and sometimes very hungry, 
but she had never known dishonesty among her 
friends. Her eyes were made to see good in every 
one, and her frank little mouth to smile at all who 
gave her a friendly word or look. 

A fresh breeze sprang up in the afternoon and 
Rosie walked back and forth on Main Street for 
awhile with How Do before taking him to the park. 
She stopped a moment to wish Miss Dorothy good 
luck and good weather for her picnic. 

“ Probably I shall find the letter from my cousin 
when I get home to-morrow,” said Miss Dorothy. 
“You’d better run around in the evening, Rosie, and 
see what I’ve heard. I wish you could go with us on 
the picnic.” 

“ Sometime I’ll be free to have a lot of picnics with 
you,” said Rosie, jumping How Do up and down in 
her arms to make his mouth widen with his solemn 
little smile, “and I’ll roll and roll and roll in the 
grass, and sniff, sniff, sniff at the air till I fill myself 
all up with it.” 

She showed how she would sniff in such a funny 
fashion that How Do ’s gravity gave way entirely and 


A Rose of Holly Court 131 

lie laughed just as Tim’s baby would have laughed, to 
Rosie’s great delight. 

“ It’s seldom I can get him to do that,” she said 
happily, as she turned away, “ most generally he’s the 
sober little boy. Good-bye, Miss Dorothy, till I see 
you to-morrow night.” 

Her face was bright enough then and all through 
the afternoon while she played with the children in 
the little park, but as night came on her cares re- 
turned to her mind. There was no creaking of the 
door, however, to disturb her or Dennis as they 
watched together till the daylight came again, and 
the next morning dawned fair and cool. 

It seemed to Rosie that Mr. Patey looked cross that 
morning, and he asked her several questions about 
Dennis that Rosie could not understand. “ Suppose 
somebody should say she had stolen the dog, what 
would she do then ? ” Mr. Patey inquired at last. 

“ But they couldn’t,” said Rosie with her puzzled 
eyes studying the heavy, sullen face of her employer, 
“ they couldn’t, Mr. Patey. Dennis just came into 
Holly Court, same as all the other dogs have come, 
and he made known he’d like to stay with me, when 
I asked him. He had no collar on, nor anything. 
And last night I read the paper in at Mr. Holloran’s 


132 A Rose of Holly Court 

and there wasn’t one single bit of a word about a 
lost dog.” 

“ All right then,” said Mr. Patey, half-ashamed as 
he looked down at Rosie’s earnest, troubled face, 
“ only there’s been a young gentleman here asking me 
about you and your character for honesty, and I don’t 
like any talk of that kind about a girl that waits on 
my customers. He said he’d come again to-day ; at 
dinner time. He came first last night ” 

Rosie’s heart stood still and her little figure trem- 
bled for a moment. Then she gathered up her cour- 
age and tried to smile. 

“If he comes I’ll be glad to tell him just the same 
as I’ve told you,” she said quietly ; “I’ll not be a bit 
afraid to, Mr. Patey. Now I must see to that man 
that’s at one of my tables.” 

Mr. Patey’s shifty eyes roamed to the door again 
and again that morning, but when at a few minutes 
before twelve the “young gentleman” whom he had 
been expecting appeared, Mr. Patey made a quick 
sign with his thumb toward Rosie whose back was 
turned, and then became suddenly busy with his ac- 
counts. 

Rosie was pouring a cup of tea for an old woman 
whose hands shook so she could not pour it for her- 


A Rose of Holly Court 133 

self. When she had carefully dropped in the lump of 
sugar she took up her tray and turned to meet the 
keen eyes of a young man who had his hand on the 
back of the chair opposite the old woman’s. 

“ Is this Rosie Dolan ? ” he asked in a low voice, 
but before Rosie could catch her breath to answer 
some one came up behind and clapped him on the 
shoulder. It was another young man with a ruddy 
face and bright brown eyes. 

“ What are you doing in here, Ned ? ” he asked in 
a breezy voice. “ I saw you ahead of me on the 
street, and was surprised when you turned in here, 
just where I had an errand. My Cousin Dorothy has 
gone off for the day it seems, and I came here to hunt 
up a little girl by the name of Dolan — Miss Lombard 
said I’d find her here at this time of day. Hullo, 
little girl,” he was suddenly conscious of a pair of 
gray blue eyes and an eager half-frightened face, “ I 
wonder if you could be Rosie Dolan ? ” 

“ Yes, that’s her name, and a kind little girl she is,” 
said the old woman in a quavering voice. “I hope 
you’ve got some good news for her, young man.” 

There were only a few customers in the restaurant, 
and they all stopped eating and looked curiously at- 
Rosie and the two young men. The little girl held 


134 A Rose of Holly Court 

her tray against her beating heart as if it were a 
shield, but her steady eyes did not droop in spite of 
her fear. 

u Why this is the same person I’ve come to see,” 
said the young man who had first entered the restau- 
rant. “ I came to inquire about a dog.” 

“ Why so did I, Ned,” said Miss Dorothy’s cousin, 
with a hearty laugh. “ Look here, are you trying to 
get in ahead of me ? ” 

The young man who was called “ Ned ” looked 
puzzled. 

“ Was Dennis your dog before he was mine ? ” 
asked Rosie gravely. “ And did the man that tried 
to steal him write you about me ? ” 

“ Take your friends outdoors for your talk,” said 
Mr. Patey coming close to the group with a frown on 
his face. “ I cannot have any trouble in here, you 
little Dolan.” 

Rosie laid her tray on the table and walked slowly 
out, followed by the two young men. 


CHAPTER XIII 


THE PURCHASE OF DENNIS 

When Rosie got safely out on the sidewalk away 
from the curious eyes in the restaurant and Mr. 
Patey’s frown, she paused for a minute, wondering 
what to do. 

“Would you be willing to come to the park in 
Holly Court where I live ? ” she asked. “ There’d be 
nobody else but the dogs there in the morning and 
there’s a clean bench that wouldn’t soil your clothes.” 

The young men assented willingly, and turned with 
Rosie to walk toward Holly Court. 

“ Does Dennis stay in the park ? ” asked the young 
man called “ Ned.” 

“ Dennis hardly speaks to the rest of the dogs,” said 
Rosie, shaking her head. “ I tell him he’s no better 
than any of them prob’ly. excepting in his looks, for 
they’re all kind dogs, but we need him to guard the 
baby and play with the children mostly ; he’s a house- 
dog. He’s soft, and he’s brownish-red, Mr. ” 

“ Pond,” prompted the young man. “ My dog was 
red-brown ; he’s an Irish setter.” 

135 


136 A Rose of Holly Court 

Rosie bravely tried to smile at this news. 

“I expect he’s the one,” she said quietly. “He’d 
like me because my family came from Ireland. Was 
he the only dog you had ? I’m sorry I didn’t know 
before.” 

Just then the man who had tried to make trouble 
for Rosie, and had followed the group at a safe dis- 
tance, turned down an alley, muttering. He saw 
from the way the two young men looked down at 
Rosie that his plan for revenge was likely to fail, and 
harm might come to his own head if he were not 
careful. So he hurried out of sight, and later in the 
day he received a warning from the policeman on 
that beat which made him think it wise to stay away 
from Holly Court for the future. 

When Rosie and the two young men reached the 
little park, there was the clean bench, and down they 
sat on it, Rosie in the middle so that she might talk 
easily to both her new friends. 

“ As soon as you understand all about it I’ll take 
you to our house and introduce you to my mother,” 
said Rosie, turning her head to look first at one young 
man and then at the other, “ but I must tell you just 
how it happened. Is your name Mr. Rowe?” she 
asked Miss Dorothy’s cousin, and when he said “ yes,” 


A Rose of Holly Court 137 

she was greatly pleased. “That makes me feel at 
home, right away,” she said, “ and Mr. Pond would 
be almost like one of my own family, an account of 
Dennis having belonged to him. Well now, listen till 
I tell you.” 

Then Rosie told the history of her summer since 
the day of Norah’s wedding, and only left out a few 
facts that concerned herself. She said nothing about 
ever going hungry or being tired, but a great deal 
about her frail mother, and the help Maggie and 
Celia were at home, and the charming ways of the 
twins, Tim’s baby and little How Do. As she talked 
the young men dug their walking sticks into the 
ground, with their eyes on the little holes they were 
making, as if they hardly liked to look at the child 
between them. 

“ There ! ” said Rosie breathlessly at last, “ I be- 
lieve I’ve told you the whole story.” 

“Are you sure you haven’t left out anything?” 
asked Mr. Pond, with his eyes still on the ground. 
But his voice was kind and Rosie was not frightened. 

“ There’s a few things about Mr. Patey,” she said 
with a glance toward the little brown house, “ but it’s 
no use telling them. When my brother Bob comes 
out of the hospital I’ll say ‘good-bye’ to Mr. Patey, 


138 A Rose of Holly Court 

and that’ll be the end. But now you don’t think I 
meant to steal Dennis away from you, Mr. Pond?” 
she asked anxiously. “I don’t see how he made up 
his mind to leave his master when he’s the lovingest 
dog that ever was.” 

“ I felt certain as soon as I saw you that you had 
not stolen him,” said Mr. Pond decidedly, and then 
he told Rosie about Rathinore Kennels and Bob 
Boy. 

“ That’s Dennis, sure,” said Bosie, who had listened 
intently to every word. “ And to think you have so 
many dogs you hardly knew him ! And you were 
going to sell him ! ” 

“ Yes, I was,” admitted the young man. “And 
then he ran away, and I heard nothing of him until a 
few days ago ; then a letter came saying that a little 
girl called Bosie Dolan had him, and could be seen at 
Patey’s restaurant at a certain time any day ; and 
although the letter was unsigned I thought it was 
worth my while to look into the matter, so I came to 
town last night.” 

Bosie was holding her lower lip with her teeth, and 
her breath came fast. 

“ I never knew Bob Boy well, but I can see that 
you and Dennis are the best of friends, and he has 


A Rose of Holly Court 139 

all the petting he needs,” said Mr. Pond, and Rosie 
was greatly comforted. 

“ But he’s your dog,” she said, and then she sat still 
for a moment, while the young men exchanged a 
glance of perplexity over her head. 

“ This would be what I’d like best, if you’d let me,” 
said Rosie gravely at last. “ If you don’t care a great 
deal for Dennis so you’d miss him all the time, I’d 
like to buy him of you, little by little. I suppose he’s 
worth maybe as much as — as three dollars ? Now he is, 
isn’t he truly ? ” she looked wistfully at the young man 
as she mentioned this sum which seemed to her enormous. 

He bit his lip and appeared to be weighing the 
matter before he spoke. 

“ I suppose almost anybody would say that wasn’t 
a high price for him,” he said slowly. 

“ But you forget that Rosie has been boarding him 
ever since he ran away,” said Miss Dorothy’s cousin 
severely. 

“That was nothing at all,” said Rosie in great 
haste ; “ he’s earned every bit he’s had and more. 
And if his board is worth anything I can’t let him go 
to you till the cool weather unless I pay you. They 
say things are cheap in the country, but they must 
cost something.” 


140 A Rose of Holly Court 

“ But it will be so little, and I’m Miss Dorothy’s 
cousin — you might take such a small present as Den- 
nis’s board for a few weeks, I should think,” and Mr. 
Rowe looked quite downcast and hurt. 

“Well, I will then,” said Rosie warmly. “I will do 
it, if Mr. Pond will sell me the dog. Have you a bit 
of paper and pencil I could have ? ” 

One gave her a card anti the other a pencil and she 
figured busily for a few moments, and then smiled at 
the result. 

“ Three dollars is three hundred cents,” she ex- 
plained, “and I can spare six cents a week for the 
next five weeks prob’ly, that’s thirty cents, and that 
leaves two hundred and seventy cents; and when my 
brother Bob is working again I can spare ten cents 
easy from the money Mr. Lung gives me, and that’s 
only twenty-seven weeks needed, and four weeks and 
a bit over to every month makes only about six 
months and a half — that would be less than eight 
months in all before I’d have him all paid for at the 
full price. Could you wait as long as that for your 
money ?” 

The eager, innocent face was turned away from 
him, so that Mr. Rowe was able to nod with great 
determination and fierceness at his friend. 


A Rose of Holly Court 141 

“ Yes,” said Mr. Pond, “yes, Rosie, Pin sure I could 
wait as long as that, for I should be getting a little 
money from time to time, you see.” 

The pure delight that filled Rosie’s face was well 
worth seeing. She sprang to her feet, seizing a hand 
of each of her new friends. 

“ Then come ! ” she cried, “ come to the house and 
I’ll introduce you to my mother, and call Dennis in 
from the yard where he’s minding the children, and 
then I’ll be off to my work, or Mr. Patey ” 

She shook her head and scowled, to show them 
what Mr. Patey might do, and then led the way to 
the house, while from the windows in the tenement 
the faces that had been peering down into the park, 
turned to look fixedly toward Main Street, and Mrs. 
Rafferty mentioned in a loud tone that the banana 
man was much later than usual. 

Ten minutes after that a flushed and breathless 
little girl ran down the Dolans’ steps and up Holly 
Court to the corner around which her short skirts 
whisked, and she was out of sight before even Mrs. 
Cassidy could catch her. It was Rosie, filled to the 
brim with happiness. Such plans for good times were 
being made in the little brown house ! But the most 
wonderful thing- of all perhaps she would never 


14 2 A Rose of Holly Court 

know — that for the sum of three dollars, to be paid 
on the instalment plan, she had bought a dog 
worth more than the year’s rent of her home in 
Holly Court. 


CHAPTER XIV 

ROSIE’S HOLIDAY 

When Rosie had run joyfully off to her work, the 
young men had a little talk with Mrs. Dolan, and 
when they left she followed them out on the steps. 

“ You’ll find him a hard man, but money will bring 
him around,” she said in a particularly clear tone, as 
her visitors stood on the sidewalk, hats in hand. “ It 
will be a grand surprise for her, and I’ll keep it, never 
fear. And if you’d get the key, oh yes ! And Miss 
Dorothy would be a great help. Rosie can do it, with 
me to guide her. Well, I’ll see you again, sirs, the 
both of you. And many thanks is what I owe } 7 ou.” 

The children were safely out of ear shot, locked out 
into the yard, but as Mrs. Dolan turned to go into the 
house, she glanced over at the tenement and was 
pleased to see there a goodly show of those who, 
unless they were deaf, must have heard her myste- 
rious words. 

The young men walked up the street together 
and turned toward the Settlement, talking earnestly. 
They had been friends from boyhood, and their 
143 


144 A Rose of Holly Court 

homes were only a short distance apart, in a beauti 
ful suburban town. 

“ I want you to understand, Ned,” said Miss Dor- 
othy’s cousin, “ that I pay you what Hob Roy is 
worth. Dorothy has taken a great liking to this little 
Rosie, and she wrote me that the child’s devotion to 
her family, and her pride in the dog — the one thing 
she has ever really called her own — were pathetic. 
You can see it for yourself, well enough. Dorothy 
has been good to me ever since I was a homely, 
stupid bit of a boy, and I want to do this small thing 
for her.” 

Mr. Pond looked at him gravely for a moment, 
knowing how little money meant to his friend, and 
how he craved opportunities to give pleasure. 

“ All right, if you’ll feel any better about it,” he 
said with a smile. “ I’d planned to have the fun of 
it myself, but perhaps there’ll be plenty of ways 
when ” 

Just then they turned the corner and their voices 
were drowned in the din of Main Street. 

When Rosie returned to the restaurant she found 
she had grown to be a person of importance. Mr. 
Patey beckoned her to him as she entered and drew 
her in behind the desk. 


A Rose of Holly Court 145 

“ Is the dog his, and are they going to let you off 
without paying anything ? ” he asked in his hoarse 
whisper. 

Rosie looked at him in frank amazement. 

“ He’s obliged to me for having kept him off the 
streets and fed him the best I could,” she said. “ And 
the dog’s to come back to me after he’s had a change 
in the country where he’s going to-morrow with Miss 
Dorothy Rowe — one of those gentlemen is her 
cousin.” 

Mr. Patey’s eyes disappeared as he smiled down at 
Rosie. 

“ Then did they give you something for the care of 
the dog, eh ? ” he asked. 

The little girl’s face flushed and she drew herself 
away from him with dignity. 

“ I guess you don’t understand, Mr. Patey,” she 
said quietly, “ and I’d better go and wait on my tables 
now. I’ve lost more than half an hour anyway,” she 
added, glancing at the clock on the wall over the 
desk, “of course you’ll have to take something off my 
wages, for that.” 

“ Well, business is business,” said Mr. Patey as he 
gave up smiling and bent over his account-book again. 

Rosie waited on all the people who fell to her share 


146 A Rose of Holly Court 

with such a beaming face that nobody could help 
noticing it. 

“ You look as if you’d had a fortune left you, little 
girl,” said a man who was one of Rosie’s regular cus- 
tomers, and she gave a low laugh as she set his dishes 
down before him. 

“ You’d think ’twas a fine fortune if you knew all 
about it,” she whispered. “ Everything good just 
comes to me ; I hope I won’t be forgetting how hard 
others have it while I’m so lucky. There, I must go 
help ” 

She stopped talking to run over to an elderly woman 
who always brought a great many small parcels and 
dropped at least three of them on the floor. Rosie 
stooped under the table and picked them up and then 
stood waiting for her order. She could not keep a 
sober face that day, no matter how hard she tried. 

“ I don’t know what it is they’re planning with my 
mother,” she said to Lulu Monks after telling her the 
wonderful news about Dennis, “ but I’m sure it’s 
something grand. You’d think they’d known us al- 
ways ; but my mother has such a pretty way with her 
that she makes any one feel at home,” said Rosie, 
proudly. “ I’m hoping I’ll have half as good manners 
when I’m grown up.” 


A Rose of Holly Court 147 

Lulu Monks looked at her for a moment with the 
softness in her eyes that only Rosie brought to them. 

“ I guess you’ll have as good manners as you need,” 
she said as she turned away, “ wherever you get ’em. 
I wish I’d ever learned any.” 

“ Why you have a friendly way with you,” said 
Rosie warmly. She repeated it one day a week later 
to Miss Dorothy who had taken her off for a real hoi- 
iday. 

Nothing more wonderful than this holiday could 
have come to Rosie. It happened that Wun Lung had 
carried How Do off for a few days to see a distant 
relative, and while they were away, Miss Dorothy 
persuaded Mr. Patey to spare his little waitress for 
one day. He had hesitated at first, but Miss Dorothy 
looked at him with a steady and unsmiling gaze. 
“ You know you do not pay Rosie what she is worth 
to you,” she said. “ Would you care to have me tell 
any one about that paper you had her sign, Mr. 
Patey ? My uncle, Judge Rowe, for instance ?” 

Mr. Patey seemed uneasy with her words in his ears 
and that steady gaze searching his face. 

“ She can have the holiday,” he said after he had 
considered for a moment, “ and I will not take off any- 
thing from her dollar.” 


u8 A Rose of Holly Court 

Mrs. Dolan and all the children were up early in the 
morning to see Eosie off and Maggie and Celia ran 
with her to the Settlement, for she was a little belated 
by an accident to Patrick who, in his desire to get 
Rosie’s last kiss, jumped from a chair and fell on his 
nose. No one but Rosie could put on the wet paper 
plaster and dry his tears, but he was laughing again 
when she left him. 

“I hope you’ll have the grandest time that ever 
was,” said Mrs. Dolan from the doorway, “and come 
back strong an’ all rested up, Rosie darling, for I mis- 
trust there’ll be little stren’th left in me after this 
day’s over. If there was time to get Tim’s baby 
ready, I believe I’d send him with you, now ! Well, 
good-bye, good-bye ! Maggie Dolan, lift your feet off 
the ground when you run and not go scuffing like 
that ! and Celia, don’t drag on your sister, for you’re 
getting a great heavy girl. I believe you must weigh 
forty pounds this minute, and you only six ! Good- 
bye, Rosie darling ! ” 

As Miss Dorothy looked down at the happy face 
resting on the red-plush back of the seat in the rail- 
way car she wondered to herself how much Rosie 
weighed ; for the little cheeks were thin and pale and 
there were too many blue veins to suit Miss Dorothy. 


A Rose of Holly Court 149 

She suddenly realized that Eosie had asked her a 
question and she had not heard it. 

“You were saying something about your friend 
Lulu Monks at the restaurant, weren’t you, Eosie?” 
she said. “You must excuse me, dear, for I was 
thinking about something else just at that minute.” 

Then Eosie repeated Lulu’s speech about the man- 
ners. 

“ If she could have had my mother to bring her up 
’t would have been different with her,” said Eosie. 
“ I'm sure it would, Miss Dorothy, for my mother 
never leaves off telling the children how to behave 
when she’s with them, and bidding them mind their 
voices that they don’t get sharp and loud. Of course 
she isn’t speaking to me so often now I’ve grown so 
big, but sometimes I’ll forget myself, playing with 
the children. But they all have the pretty voices 
owing to my mother. Have you ever noticed my 
sister Maggie, when she’s been at the Settlement? 
She has the sweet little voice when she isn’t — flus- 
tered,” said Eosie after a vain search for a fitting 
word. 

Miss Dorothy said she had noticed Maggie’s voice, 
at which Eosie was delighted. 

“And Celia has the gentle little voice,” she said 


150 A Rose of Holly Court 

happily, turning her face so that first one cheek and 
then the other rubbed against the crimson plush. 
“Celia’ll be coming to you next winter, Miss Dorothy, 
and you’ll just love her. When I get my work all 
planned out, there won’t be a thing to hinder the two 
of them going to the Settlement every afternoon. 
Did you know Mr. Lung says he’ll give me extra pay 
to teach How Do his letters in the afternoons, along 
with the twins ? It’s time they were learning ; and 
Tim’s baby will be the boy for books; he sits and 
holds a picture paper in his two little hands now, 
whenever he can get the chance. Mornings I’ll be in 
school three hours myself, when my mother’s well, 
but there’s a good deal of time when you get up 
early. Oh, what’s that over in the field, Miss 
Dorothy ? ” 

They were just coming to the real country after a 
stretch of bridges and marshy land, and Rosie had 
caught sight of a windmill. For the rest of the short 
ride — although it lasted three-quarters of an hour it 
seemed very short to Rosie — she was busy looking at 
the flying panorama of fields and woods, dotted with 
horses, cows, houses and all sorts of interesting things. 
She asked questions so fast that Miss Rowe could 
scarcely answer them in order, and she and Rosie 



“IF ONLY MOTHER COULD SEE ME 







A Rose of Holly Court 151 

were laughing over this when they reached the end 
of their journey, and had to hurry from the car, still 
laughing. 

At the side of the pretty station at which they 
stopped two dog-carts were waiting, and their drivers 
were Rosie’s two new friends. 

“Will you drive with me, little Miss Dolan?” 
asked Mr. Pond, jumping down from his seat and 
making a low bow to the travelers. 

Rosie looked bewildered for a minute, then, seeing 
that Miss Dorothy was smiling at her, as she stood by 
her cousin, ready to be helped into his cart, she en- 
tered into the spirit of the fun. 

“ Miss Dolan is myself, and I’ll be most pleased to 
accept your invitation,” she said with a sweeping 
courtesy, “if you’ll just wait till I gather up my 
train.” 

Then she clutched the folds of her old gingham 
skirt firmly in one hand and allowed Mr. Pond to 
help her mount to her seat. But when the horse 
started at a light flick of the whip, and she felt the 
ground flying under her, she wriggled her shoulders 
with delight and kept her gravity no longer. 

“Now I know what it is to travel in the air,” she 
said with a long drawn breath. “ I never thought I 


i5 2 A Rose of Holly Court 

should, but I do ! If only my mother and the chil- 
dren could see me now, they’d — they’d burst with the 
pride that would be in them ! ” 


CHAPTER XY 


ON THE DOLANS’ STEPS 

The drive in the dog-cart was the first of many de- 
lights that filled the holiday to overflowing. When 
Rosie said good-bye to the two young men and once 
more entered the railway car with Miss Dorothy, she 
could hardly speak, there was so much to say. 

The two travelers waved their handkerchiefs out 
of the car window as long as they could see even the 
corner of the little station, and then they leaned back 
in their seats and smiled at each other over their 
great bouquets. 

“ My mother will have told a few where I’ve been, 
most likely,” said Rosie when they parted in the 
dusk at the corner of Main Street. “ I believe there’ll 
be plenty of visitors to-night. Oh, Miss Dorothy, I’ve 
had the grandest time ! and more to come, just 
think of that ! I’ll be tripping over my own feet 
with joy to-morrow, and Mr. Patey’ll have to scold 
me.” 

That night there was a gathering of neighbors on 
the Dolans’ steps. The Cassidys, Hallorans, Gold- 
153 


154 -d Rose of Holly Court 

steins, Raffertys and Lulu Monks listened with great 
excitement to the story of Rosie’s day. She began at 
the very beginning, and told it so vividly that as Mrs. 
Cassidy remarked to Mrs. Halloran, “she’d even 
know the horse that was in it, if ever she saw him.” 

“ I never thought there was a house in all the 
world as fine as Mr. Pond’s,” said Rosie, “ and he 
says Mr. Rowe’s is finer yet. Next time Pm to go 
there, but I can’t believe it’s finer. Mr. Pond’s house 
is as big as — as big as the park, and it has a great 
wide piazza that goes running around it, and you’d not 
know where to sit down, there’s such a lot of chairs. 
And then when you’d chosen a seat, you’d look away 
off through the trees and you’d see a pink bush one 
place and a yellow bush another place, and a white 
bush another place ! The grass was so smooth and 
soft, and it rolled away down a slope till it came to a 
little shelf, and then it rolled away again till it came 
to another — three little shelves there were, and they 
call them — they call them ” 

“ Tirrisses,” prompted Mrs. Dolan, who had heard 
the story before the neighbors arrived. 

“Yes, terraces,” said Rosie. “And there was a 
fountain playing so cool off at one side, and a dog 
lying there — till he saw me. Yes, ’twas Dennis, and 


A Rose of Holly Court 155 

he was that glad! He’s looking well and handsome, 
and I told him he was the lucky dog ! And Mr. 
Pond’s aunt, that he lives with — there’s only those 
two in the family — she had a dinner for us spread 
under the trees, and the young lady that passed the 
things to us had a lovely white apron on that went to 
her shoulders with a bow on each shoulder and a cap 
on her head. I don’t know what we had to eat, for 
the things were different from Mr. Patey’s ; but some 
of them were on toast and some were in little round 
crimpy dishes and some were in little castles made 
o’ pastry. And last of all we had ice cream — three 
colors, as much as we could eat, and cakes.” 

Rosie paused to let her audience digest this wonder- 
ful piece of news, and then she told about the dogs 
she had seen in Rathmore Kennels — big dogs and 
little dogs, “ but all so clean and shiny, and not a one 
of them barked at me,” she said. “ I believe Dennis 
had passed the word to them that I was a friend of 
his. And if you’d see the grand dogs that had houses 
all to themselves I don’t know what you’d say. They 
looked at me as much as to say, ‘it’s not worth our 
while taking much notice of you but all the same we 
wish you well ;’ and I bowed to them all, and passed 
a few remarks about their fine looks. 


156 A Rose of Holly Court 

“And we had a long ride in the afternoon, all 
through woods and to a hill where you could see 
away off across' the water almost to Europe. And 
when we came back we went to see all the flowers in 
a garden behind Mr. Pond’s house, and Mr. Pond and 
Mr. Rowe they picked them so fast, till Miss Dorothy 
and I had more than we had hands for. And then it 
was nearly time to go to the railroad train again, and 
Mr. Pond’s aunt made us sit down on the piazza and 
drink something coola nd pink — I thought she called 
it a shrub, but maybe I didn’t hear the word right — 
and she offered us some little round yellow cakes with 
frosting on top, and a little red berry in the middle, 
and when I couldn’t eat mine ” — here Kosie began to 
move into the house, “ when I couldn’t eat mine be- 
cause I’d had such a lot of things at dinner and there 
was no place in my throat for any more, she called for 
a box, and she put six ” 

Here Rosie’s voice was lost for a moment, until she 
appeared again in the doorway, bearing a plate, a 
knife and a square paper box. 

“ And here they are,” she cried joyfully, “ and my 
mother’s a grand one to divide cake ! The children 
have had one between them, but there’s five left and 
everybody can have a taste.” 


A Rose of Holly Court 157 

Such was Mrs. Dolan’s skill and with such judgment 
did she wield the knife on the box cover, that every 
guest on the steps had a piece of the cake, and nobody 
was slighted. 

Then Rosie made another trip into the bouse, while 
everybody waited to see what could possibly be com- 
ing next. 

“ Look ! ” cried Rosie, standing in the doorway with 
a great bunch of red roses in her hands. “ Look at 
them all together, before I divide them up, for there’s 
a rose for everybody, and some to spare.” 

“And now,” said Rosie twirling a little cluster of 
buds in her fingers, when the last full-blown flower 
had found an eager owner, “ I’ll save these for 
little How Do, for he laughs whenever he sees 
anything red, and he’ll be tired after his day’s visit- 
ing.” 

She stood in the doorway smiling on them all when 
they began to say good-night. 

“I’d like to see you with a great lot of money in 
your hands,” said Mrs. Cassidy as she rose to go, but 
Rosie shook her head. 

“I’d never know what to do with a great lot of 
money,” she said, soberly, and then she laughed. 

“ I’ll never have it, so I needn’t be worrying, Mrs. 


158 A Rose of Holly Court 

Cassidy,” she said gayly, “ but now every one of you 
has a little piece of my holiday, and I’m wishing it 
were ten times as much ! ” 


CHAPTER XVI 


A BREEZY AFTERNOON 

The memory of her holiday was the brightest thing 
in Rosie’s life for the next two weeks. Mrs. Dolan 
was always tired and lying on the bed-lounge when 
Rosie came home, though she never seemed to have 
done much work about the house. Bob, at the hos- 
pital, had a touch of fever that delayed his home-com- 
ing, and there was no news of any sort from Tim. 
Norah, to be sure had written that she and Mr. 
Knowles were going to “ run in and surprise Holly 
Court some day,” but though Rosie longed to see her 
sister, she was troubled to think that Horah would 
find out what a hard summer had come to the little 
brown house. 

Even Rosie had to own to herself that the summer 
had been hard and hot. It was now almost Septem- 
ber, but the cool wind seemed to have forgotten that 
Holly Court needed an airing now and then, and 
Rosie missed Dennis sadly. Maggie’s temper had 
matched the weather lately, and it took all Rosie’s 
love and gentleness to keep peace in the family. 

159 


160 A Rose of Holly Court 

And the crowning trouble of all seemed close at 
hand as she sat on the back door-steps one night, 
taking a last breath of air after the rest of the family 
were in bed. 

“ To think there are folks coming in up-stairs,” she 
said, her tired little face lifted to the stars as if they 
could hear her ; “ folks that have no children of their 
own and will likely have cross words to say about the 
baby’s crying once in awhile and the twins having 
their bit o’ fun and noise. Whenever I ask my 
mother who the folks are she shuts her mouth tight 
as if she couldn’t bear to let a sound pass out of her 
lips. But she has the key, and she lets in the car- 
penter that works up there every day. I wonder that 
folks who can afford a carpenter to get things ready 
for them, come to live in Holly Court.” 

“And they’ve had new paint put on too, I know 
they have,” said Rosie after a little pause, “ for the 
man was taking out his pails the day I came home 
early on account of the splinter in my foot. It’s a 
wonder how that bit o’ wood worked through those 
thick pieces o’ paper I have over the holes in my boot.” 

She rested her chin on her hands and her smile was 
nowhere to be seen ; but there was nobody to look 
for it, so Rosie was safe. 


A Rose of Holly Court 1 6 1 

“ My mother’s a sweet darling,” said the little girl 
to the stars, “ but you know how ’tis with a person 
that has only the wee bit o’ strength, and a big family 
o’ children to look after. Each one gets only her 
share o’ the thought. And that’s all right,” Rosie 
nodded defiantly up at the twinkling watchers in the 
sky, “that’s all right! If my mother knew that I 
was the least weeny speck tired she’d just be rocking 
me in her lap and keeping me from work till I was all 

rested up ! You know she would, but she doesn’t 

* 

know, and she shan’t ! ” said Rosie as she crept softly 
into the house, and bolted the door. 

Two more days of stifling heat were followed by a 
day of showers ; after each shower it seemed hotter 
than before in Holly Court. The dogs in the park 
lay with their tongues lolling out of their mouths and 
panted. The Dolans panted with them, and so did 
everybody else. Rosie had How Do and the Cassidy 
baby with the twins and little Augustin Charles under 
the old parasol and she sat beside them, after the last 
shower, making letters out of blades of grass, and 
spreading them on the damp brown ground close to 
the little kicking heels. 

“ How Patrick, it’s the good boy that would tell his 
sister Rosie if that's a ‘ P ’ or a ‘ B,' ” she said coax- 


162 A Rose of Holly Court 

ingly, with her finger on a straggling grass-blade 
letter. “ Oh, now you’ve kicked it all to pieces ! I 
wonder at you, Patrick, when you know poor Rosie 
couldn’t go to the hospital along with Maggie and 
Celia that my mother took. I’d think you’d be want- 
ing to make it up to Rosie that hasn’t seen her 
brother Bob since he had his accident.” 

It was doubtful whether Patrick cared much for his 
sister’s words, but her tone disturbed him. Also, he 
was injured to note the absence of her smile — that 
smile which belonged to the family and should be al- 
ways ready on her face. And because something 
about her eyes and the corners of her mouth sug- 
gested tears, Patrick took matters into his own hands, 
and burst into a hearty roar. 

“ Oh, don’t!” cried Rosie, gathering him into her 
arms, “ sister didn’t mean anything, Patrick dear ! 
You’re learning your letters fast, and it’s a hot day to 
be studying, so it is ! See, now, we’ll try if we can 
whistle up a breeze, the way Mrs. Halloran’s father 
told about. Try now, every one of us,” and she 
puckered up her lips, the laugh that everybody in 
Holly Court loved to hear, spoiling her whistle, as she 
looked at little How Do and Augustin Charles who 
were trying to imitate her. 


A Rose of Holly Court 163 

“ What are you doing, Rosie? ” called Eva Rafferty 
from her window. 

“We’re whistling for a breeze!” cried Rosie, 
“and I believe it’s coining. Wish for it, Eva! Wish 
hard ! Row, Patrick, whistle as loud as ever you 
can ! ” 

Music was as yet beyond the small Patrick’s powers, 
as he had never whistled a tune, but he could pro- 
duce a most shrill and ear-piercing note and this he 
promptly did at Rosie’s bidding. The spirit of fun 
seized Holly Court and from every open window came 
the sound of whistling long and loud. Rosie was on 
her feet by that time, her head forward, her hands on 
her hips, all her mind bent on her whistling, when 
suddenly there was a whiff of air — it came and went 
— then there was another, stronger whiff — and then a 
third — that lasted ! 

“ Oh ! ” cried Rosie, seizing the children one after 
another in a gentle grasp and pulling them out from 
under the parasol, “ come out and smell it ! It’s the 
wind we were wishing and whistling for! Jump up 
and down, Patrick and Terence ! And here comes 
Miss Dorothy around the corner, with her white 
parasol lined with green ! How Do, and Tim’s baby 
and you little mite of a Cassidy, rise up on my 


164 A Rose of Holly Court 

shoulders, and wave your hands to the fine breeze 
that’s bringing Miss Dorothy to us ! ” 

It was a nodding, laughing group that welcomed 
Miss Rowe, and it soon appeared that she had a favor 
to ask of Rosie. 

“ Some friends are coming to see me to-morrow,” 
she said to the little girl, “ and I thought perhaps you 
could help me about some things until you go to the 
restaurant if your mother can spare you.” 

“ I can get up a little earlier, and leave things so 
they’ll be no trouble to my mother,” said Rosie 
eagerly, “ and I’m so glad you want me ! The folks 
are going to move in up-stairs to-morrow morning. 
My mother said a load of furniture came yesterday 
while I was away.” 

The next morning at the Settlement she brushed 
and dusted, and was allowed to polish the silver toilet 
articles in Miss Dorothy’s room, and to wash and 
wipe the long gilt-framed mirror until it shone and 
gleamed. She was standing before it, looking at her- 
self with evident satisfaction when Miss Dorothy 
turned from some work at her desk as the sound of 
rubbing ceased. 

“ I believe the dear little soul has a touch of in- 
nocent vanity,” thought Miss Dorothy, but Rosie’s 


A Rose of Holly Court 165 

face did not flush as her eyes met those of her 
friend. 

“The spots on my apron where the old lady at the 
rest’rant spilled her strawberry juice by mistake, 
hardly show at all,” she said gayly. “At home 
there’s no place I can see myself excepting just to 
know if my face is clean ; but this shows off my 
clothes as if I were another person looking at them, 
it’s so grand and long ! ” 

The ladies who came to visit the Settlement that 
day were delighted with Rosie who opened the door 
and made a deep courtesy to them, and served them 
to lemonade in little glass cups from a round silver 
tray in Miss Dorothy’s room. They asked her a good 
many questions but Rosie had no trouble in answer- 
ing them. 

“What do you like best of anything?” asked one 
of the ladies, and it did not take Rosie a minute to tell. 

“ Babies ! ” she said quickly. “ I’d like it if I could 
have lots and lots of babies to talk to and play with 
when my work’s done. They have such loving ways 
with them, and they never cry when they’re happy.” 

The ladies smiled at one another, and the youngest 
visitor held out her hands to Rosie and drew the little 
girl close to her. 


i66 A Rose of Holly Court 

“ What do you wish for, when you wish ? ” she asked 
gently. She was a cousin of Miss Dorothy, so Eosie 
had loved her at once. 

“ Last Christmas Maggie and I had a wish-bone, and 
I got my wish, 5 ' said Eosie. “ It came true — that’s the 
only time I ever happened to wish. But I was 
lucky.” 

“ Would you mind telling me your wish ? ” asked the 
lady, and Eosie was delighted to tell. 

“ I wished for snow,” she said, looking around for 
approval of her choice. 

“ And when did you wish it to come ? ” This ques- 
tion was evidently a great surprise to Eosie. Surely 
everybody must know her answer beforehand. 

“ Why, any time it got ready ! ” she said Avith Avide- 
open eyes. 

There Avas a little stir among the visitors, but before 
Eosie had time to think Avhat it meant, Miss Dorothy 
told her she Avas afraid eleven o’clock was very near. 

“ Then I must run to the restaurant,” said Eosie, 
and before any one had time to say more she had said 
a breathless “good-bye ” in the doorway and Avas doAvn 
the stairs and out of the house. In the street she met 
Lulu Monks, who said hurriedly that she had an errand 
with Miss EoAve. 


A Rose of Holly Court 167 

“ And I’ve left Patey’s,” she said without looking 
at Rosie. “ I’ve got a better place. I’ll see you — to- 
night maybe.” 

“ I wish she could have stayed at the restaurant as 
long as I did,” thought Rosie as she went along the 
street, “ but I’ll only be there a little while now. Bob 
will be out next week, my mother says. Oh, there’s 
a clock striking eleven ! ” 


CHAPTER XVII 


AN EXCITING MORNING 

The clock had only just struck three when Rosie, 
clearing off the last crumb from the last table, was 
amazed to see her mother walk in at the restaurant 
door, and straight up to Mr. Patey’s desk. Her head 
was held high though her bonnet was a little on one 
side, and the bow under her chin looked as if it had 
been tied in great haste. She did not glance toward 
Rosie, but fixed her gaze on Mr. Patey as if she would 
look right through him. 

“I’ve come for my daughter,” said Mrs. Dolan 
clearly, without waiting for any opening remarks, 
“and I’ll take her home with me, and whatever wages 
are due her. She’s no need to wait for dinner here, 
for I have it saved for her at home.” 

“ She signed a paper,” began Mr. Patey, but Mrs. 
Dolan snapped her fingers in contempt. 

“ You and your papers ! ” she said scornfully. “ Her 
brother Bob has come out o’ the hospital, and he’s 
home this minute waiting to see her.” 

168 


A Rose of Holly Court 169 

At that Rosie gave a little cry of delight and Mrs. 
Dolan turned to her at last. 

“ We’ll go straight home, Rosie darling,” she said, 
putting her arm around her daughter, who had come 
close to her at the news of Bob. “ Your week here is 
up to-morrow, and Miss Dorothy said Mr. Ratey would 
give you the full dollar, under the circumstances ; 
that’s what Miss Dorothy thought her uncle that’s a 
judge would advise him,” added Mrs. Dolan with a 
dark glance at the angry face behind the desk. 

However Mr. Patey felt he did not think it was 
wise to tempt Providence in the person of Miss Rowe’s 
uncle, so it was less than five minutes before Mrs. 
Dolan was walking proudly home with her little girl’s 
arm tucked within her own. 

“ There’s a letter from Tim for you at home,” said 
Mrs. Dolan, as they went around the corner of Holly 
Court, “ and there’s something beside writing in it, I 
know that. There’s a place in the middle that’s thicker 
than the rest.” 

“What would make him write to me instead of 
you ? ” asked Rosie in bewilderment. 

“Because I told him to if he had any feelings and 
heart in him,” said Mrs. Dolan promptly. “ I wrote 
him two weeks ago, unbeknown to you. Wave your 


170 A Rose of Holly Court 

hand to Mrs. Cassidy, Rosie ; she’s standing on her 
steps with the baby.” 

It seemed as if the air of Holly Court were filled 
with excitement, and Rosie trembled without knowing 
why, when she reached the little brown house. In the 
doorway stood Norah, and Rosie ran up the steps and 
into her arms with a glad cry. 

“ I was longing to see yon, Norah,” she said, with 
her face against her sister’s shoulder. “ I think that’s 
what’s been ailing me lately. I was grieving for you 
and Bob.” 

“ Bob’s in on the bed-lounge,” said Mrs. Dolan, pull- 
ing the little girl gently along with her into the room. 

There indeed was Bob, looking a little thinner than 
before his accident and rather pale, but with his broad 
smile and hearty voice quite unchanged. 

“ You’re the smartest one of the family, I hear,” 
said Bob, putting out a long arm and drawing Rosie 
down beside him. 

“ Somebody’s been telling you great stories,” said 
the little girl, but she flushed with pleasure at the un- 
expected praise. 

“ And here’s Tim’s letter,” cried Maggie, taking a 
position close against Rosie’s knees with her little in- 
quisitive nose bent toward the letter she had taken 


A Rose of Holly Court 171 

from the table where Mrs. Dolan had hidden it under 
some papers. 

The family waited eagerly while the little girl 
opened the envelope. There were only a few lines in 
Tim’s bold handwriting, but there was something 
else — something at the sight of which Maggie capered 
joyfully — a crisp five dollar bill. 

“ To think of that ! ” cried Mrs. Dolan when Eosie 
handed her this wonderful gift. “ Timmy’s my own 
boy. He’s free-handed like all his mother’s family, as 
soon as he gets a penny ! Eead out the letter, Eosie 
darling ! ” 

“ ‘ Dear Eosie and all,’ ” read the little girl breath- 
lessly, “‘I heard what you did from mother’s letter, 
and I say good for you ! But here’s something so you 
can take a vacation, and I’d have written before, but 
the time fled away so fast. I’m working hard, and I 
get eight dollars a week now. But it’s rough here, 
and I won’t be sending for the folks for a good while 
yet. Kiss the baby for his father, and I will write 
again soon, so no more at present from your affection- 
ate son and brother, 

“ 4 Timothy Dolan.’ ” 

“ He has a fine name when you read it out like 
that,” said Mrs. Dolan solemnly, “ and he’ll be a fine 


172 A Rose of Holly Court 

man yet, though he was a widower so early. And 
now come to your dinner, for there’s a lot o’ things 
for you to see after,” she added before any one else 
had time to say a word. 

Norah had brought some delicious sandwiches with 
ham and chicken in them, and half a loaf of sponge 
cake that was as light as a feather. All the rest of 
the family had dined at noon, and three sand- 
wiches and a generous piece of cake fell to Rosie’s 
share. 

“ Patrick bought them at the railroad restaurant,” 
said Norah proudly. “ He’s a great one for good 
things to eat, Rosie.” 

“ I’d know he was,” said Rosie, nodding her head 
over a sandwich. “ I — the folks have come in up- 
stairs, haven’t they ?” she asked her mother, breaking 
off her sentence as she heard footsteps above. 

“ They have,” said Mrs. Dolan, “ and they are ex- 
pecting you and me up to make them a call as soon as 
ever you’ve eaten your dinner.” 

“ Do I know them ? ” asked Rosie quickly. “ I be- 
lieve I do, and you’ve been keeping it a secret.” 

“ I know what it is,” said Maggie eagerly. 
“ It’s ” 

“ Maggie Dolan,” said her mother, “ listen now ! 


A Rose of Holly Court 173 

If you say another word I’ll be sorr}^ I told 
you, and it’ll be the last time you ever hear a 
secret.” 

“ I won’t tell,” said Maggie with quick penitence, 
“ truly I won’t.” 

“ See that you don’t then,” said Mrs. Dolan. “Now, 
Rosie, are you ready ? ” 

‘ “ Oh yes, but I can only stay a minute, for I’ve got 
to go and bring How Do to the park,” said Rosie, 
eating the last corner of sponge cake with great haste. 
“ I almost forgot him.” 

“ You’ll have others than him to think about when 
once you get up-stairs,” said Mrs. Dolan. “ Maggie, 
you remember what you promised me this morning ? 
You and Celia take the twins out in the yard now. 
You’ll all have your chances to go up-stairs some 
other time. Come, Rosie.” 

She tucked the little girl’s hand under her arm 
and hurried her out of the room and up the short 
flight of stairs. There was a door at the head of these 
stairs, and Mrs. Dolan rapped on it sharply with her 
knuckles. It was opened at once, and when Rosie 
saw who stood smiling at her, she could scarcely be- 
lieve her eyes. 

It was Lulu Monks in a clean blue dress with a big 


174 A Rose of Holly Court 

white apron and behind her stood Miss Dorothy. 
And behind them — 

“ Oh, what is it ? ” cried Rosie. “ Is it another 
Settlement, Miss Dorothy, a Settlement a}l for 
babies ? ” 

“Come in, dear,” said Miss Dorothy. “Your 
mother and you are our first visitors this afternoon, 
but you won’t be the last, and we want to show you 
everything before any one else comes.” 

There was one long room which took all the space 
up-stairs except a little bedroom at the back, the door 
of which was open so that Rosie could see two 
narrow beds, side by side, a small bureau and a 
couple of chairs. Beyond this Rosie knew was the 
tinv place that held a sink like the one down-stairs. 
But it was the long room, the one into which the door 
at the head of the stairs opened that made Rosie feel 
as if she were in Fairyland, and she held her breath 
as she looked about her, while Miss Dorothy and 
Lulu Monks watched her from the doorway, and 
Mrs. Dolan in the centre of the floor kept up a 
steady stream of explanations to which nobody 
really listened. 


CHAPTER XYIII 

heart’s desire 

When Rosie felt a little less bewildered she began 
to walk around the room on tiptoe, as if she were 
afraid of disturbing somebody, and looked at one 
thing after another. First there was the beautiful 
paper on the walls. Rosie had never imagined there 
was such a paper in all the world ! The ground-work 
was almost white, but it was covered with all sorts of 
things in bright colors, and she looked at them, for- 
getting that there was any one else in the room, as 
she stood with her hands clasped behind her, giving 
little gasps of delight. 

“There’s Jack and Jill,” she said under her breath, 
“ just as they are in the picture books ; and there’s 
Little Bo Peep ; and there’s Simple Simon ! All of 
them ! And here are flowers, just as if you could 
pick them off the walls ! Oh, aren’t they lovely ? 
And here’s a big bear and three little bears, and 
there’s a cow and a dog and — oh ! Miss Dorothy ! ” 
cried Rosie whirling around to face her friend. u It’s 
a picture-book paper, isn’t it ? If How Do could see 
175 


176 A Rose of Holly Court 

that piece with Little Red Ridinghood on it, it would 
stop his crying any time.” 

Miss Dorothy laughed. There was no need for her 
to answer, for by this time Rosie had run to one 
corner of the room where there was a long wide bed 
with a low railing all around it, and a pile of small 
flat pillows and some little blankets with pink and 
blue edges. 

Rosie put her hand out to touch the little blankets, 
then she drew it back and looked at it closely. 

“ I haven’t washed my hands since I had the sand- 
wiches,” she said, “so I’d better not touch them, but 
I know they’re soft as soft can be, by their looks.” 

From the bed she tiptoed to the windows where 
there was a broad seat with a low railing like that 
around the bed. Rosie measured it with her eye. 

“It would hold six babies and not crowd one,” she 
said earnestly. “Oh, and here’s a pile of picture- 
books!” 

There were half a dozen books made of strong 
linen with gay pictures of all sorts; there were three 
boxes of blocks ; there was a rubber donkey and a 
•■libber cow and a rubber dog and a rubber goat; 
there were two sets of little jingling bells on strong 
handles; there were soft rubber balls and rings. 


A Rose of Holly Court 177 

Beside all these things there were half a dozen tiny 
chairs with straps to fasten across the front so that no 
baby could possibly fall out ; there were three good- 
sized rocking-chairs and one little table with leaves 
that folded down at its sides. 

Rosie’s breath came faster and faster. Her mother 
was talking but Rosie could not quite understand 
what she was saying. She stood at last looking 
from one part of the room to another in a be- 
wildered fashion, and for all she was so de- 
lighted, Miss Dorothy saw that her lips were not 
steady. 

“ I’m afraid she’ll cry,” whispered Lulu Monks, and 
perhaps Miss Dorothy feared so too, for she went to 
the little girl and put her arm around her, while Mrs. 
Dolan stood close by. 

“Your mother is telling you, Rosie dear,” said Miss 
Dorothy, “that this room has been rented by your 
friend Mr. Pond and my cousin Mr. Rowe, and fur- 
nished by the ladies you saw this morning, and it is to 
be used for a babies’ Settlement, just as you thought. 
I shall come here every day for a little while, just to 
see how things are getting on, and Lulu will live here 
and keep the place clean and in order, with your 
mother to advise her now and then, perhaps,” said 


178 A Rose of Holly Court 

Miss Dorothy in response to a cough from Mrs. Dolan 
that could not well be disregarded. 

Rosie’s eyes were fastened on Miss Dorothy’s face, 
but she did not speak, for she knew now there was 
more to come. 

“ Lulu is fond of little babies,” said Miss Dorothy, 
“ and she will look after the ones that are here in the 
morning, but in the afternoon we want some one to 
entertain them ; to sing to them and play with them 
and tell them little stories. The ladies said they 
would gladly pay three dollars a week if such a per- 
son could be found, and we all think we have found her.” 

Miss Dorothy stopped and smiled down at Rosie, 
but still there came no word from the little trembling 
lips. 

“ And it seemed to your mother and all of us,” Miss 
Dorothy went on slowly, “ that if this person were 
willing to do it, it would be wise for her to sleep here 
at night, with Lulu; because she would have a good 
deal to do in the daytime, and there are little children 
in her family who are sometimes restless when night 
comes, and she — I didn’t tell you — but she is only a 
little girl herself, who will go to school in the morn- 
ings and help her mother, too. Can you guess who 
it is?” 


A Rose of Holly Court 179 

Rosie waited for one second, then she turned and 
flung herself into her mother’s arms. 

“ It couldn’t be, could it ? ” she cried. “ Could her 
name be Rosie Dolan, to have such grand things come 
to her ? ” 

Mrs. Dolan held herself stiff with pride, but she 
stroked the little girl’s cheek with a gentle hand and 
her voice was very soft. 

“ And who’d be a better one, I’d like to know ? ” 
she asked, smiling triumphantly at Miss Dorothy over 
Rosie’s head. “Who knows how to love a baby and 
’tend him and keep him happy any better than Rosie 
Dolan ? Tell me that if you can. It’s this day that’s 
repaying your poor mother for the pains she’s taken 
to bring you up to be a credit to her ! Lift up your 
head, Rosie darling, and tell Miss Dorothy your 
thanks.” 

But for a moment Rosie could not speak, and when 
she did there were tears in the blue-gray eyes though 
she was smiling. 

“I’m not crying,” she said as she caught one of 
Miss Dorothy’s hands in both of hers and squeezed it 
hard. “ I’m laughing, but the joy of it makes my 
eyes all damp ! ” 

In another minute she was really laughing, for 


180 A Rose of Holly Court 

there was a sound of soft scuffling on the stairs, and 
before the two young men who knocked at the door 
could cross the threshold a cold nose was thrust into 
Rosie’s hand, two paws were pressed against her chest 
and a wet tongue lapped her face. It was Dennis, of 
course, whom Mr. Pond and Mr. Rowe had brought 
into town to assist at the celebration. 

He was the first of many visitors who came and 
went that afternoon. Every mother in Holly Court 
who had a little baby came for a few minutes to see 
the wonderful room, and other mothers from Main 
Street brought their babies and spoke their words of 
praise and approval. Rosie showed them all the 
beautiful things, and Miss Dorothy explained the way 
in which each mother who Avished her baby to haA r e 
afternoons or mornings there could arrange for the 
privilege, Avhile Mrs. Dolan, gracious yet dignified, 
made occasional fitting remarks. 

“ There’s two of my OAvn children that will be here 
most generally when Rosie is,” she said to an 
acquaintance from Main Street. “ That’s the twins, 
Patrick and Terence — they’ll be older than the rest 
and they’ll help amuse the babies. Rosie has great 
pleasure Avith them. And there’s my grandson 
Charles — Augustin Charles — oh yes, I’m a grand- 


j 1 Rose of Holly Court 181 

mother, though I’m young to be one and you’d hardly 
think it. Yes, he’ll be here, and there’s a Chinese 
baby that’s almost like one of our own — there he is 
now with his father.” 

AVun Lung was much embarrassed at the sight of 
such a company, and hastily placing How Do in 
Rosie’s arms after a glance around the room, he 
backed out of the door with many deep bows. 

The baby’s solemn little face broke into a smile as 
Rosie took him, and for the rest of the afternoon he 
was happy, either in her arms, or clutching tight at 
her skirt as he toddled about the room with her. 

It was a wonderful afternoon, and the evening was 
crowned by a gift from Mr. Pond — he said it was 
from Dennis — a box of candy such as had never before 
been seen in Holly Court. 

“You’re to sleep up-stairs this night with Lulu,” 
said Mrs. Dolan when it was bedtime. “ Miss Dorothy 
and I, we planned it all, for you’ll need the good 
sleep to be ready for your journey to-morrow. I 
stopped in and told Sam Maw ley you’d not be there 
to sweep any more, but you’d be along to speak to 
him once in awhile. He told me to wish you good 
luck.” 

Jt had been planned that Rosie was to go next day 


182 A Rose of Holly Court 

for a week in the country with Miss .Dorothy, and 
when the little girl asked anxiously how her mother 
could get on without her, Mrs. Dolan raised her eyes 
to the ceiling and laughed. 

“Me! That’s scrubbed every bit of those floors 
up-stairs, and all the woodwork before ’twas painted,” 
she said, delighted at Rosie’s amazement, “ and 
looked after this house beside ! And I never felt better 
in my life, not to mention having three dollars put 
away from my earnings ! Never fear for me, Rosie. 
A mother takes her pleasure in her children, and they 
make it up to her afterward if they have the warm 
hearts in them, which you have, like all my family ! ” 

When Rosie and Lulu were safe in bed, Mrs. Dolan 
stole up-stairs for a look at them, and when she had 
kissed her own child and whispered a few last words, 
she turned to the girl who had no mother. 

“ Here’s a good-night for you too,” she said, bend- 
ing over Lulu, and for the first time since she could re- 
member poor Lulu felt a warm, motherly kiss on her 
cheek. 

Once in the night Rosie woke. She sat up in bed 
and looked through the open door. There in the 
moonlight were the tiny chairs, the little table, the 
window seat — everything was there. As she lay 


A Rose of Holly Court 183 

down again, Lulu turned in her bed and put out her 
hand. 

“ Are you awake, Rosie ? ” she asked sleepily. “ I 
suppose you keep thinking about what’s coming to- 
morrow and afterward.” 

“ No,” said Rosie softly, “ I just woke up and I was 
afraid it might have been all a dream. So then I sat 
up and looked — and it’s all there — so I know it’s true. 
There are grander places than Holly Court, but I 
don’t want any one of them, Lulu, do you ? ” 

There was no answer but the steady breathing that 
showed her question was unheard. Rosie sat up in 
bed again, and reaching over, pulled the sheet gently 
up a little closer around Lulu’s shoulders, for the 
night was cool. 

A minute more she sat looking out into the moon- 
lit room. Then with a little sigh she lay back on her 
pillow and shut her eyes. The soft breeze blew the 
curtains into the long room and made shadows 
that wavered about the chairs and the babies’ bed. 
One slender shaft of moonlight found its way into the 
little bedroom beyond and gently lay on Rosie’s face. 
Through the long night she slept, and when the city’s 
din once more began, this little dweller in Holly 
Court woke to all the happiness her heart could ho!4. 





























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